Rodrigo Paz Pereira of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) is the elected president of Bolivia, after defeating former Bolivian president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga Ramírez, of the Free Alliance, in a close second round on October 19.
Both were seen as candidates from the political right, although Paz Pereira is considered a little more center. This brings to an end almost two decades of the government of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS), which brought Evo Morales to power in 2005, and to which the outgoing president Luis Arce also belongs.
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According to preliminary resultsPaz Pereira obtained 54.61% of the votes, while his opponent reached 45.39%. Quiroga recognized at a press conference his defeat.
“I want to thank our God”
In his first speech As president-elect, on the night of October 19, Paz Pereira expressed: “I want to thank our God (…) because he is a blessed God who also gives boldness to make decisions that lead to the country, that lead to moments like these.”
“God, the family and the country are the basis of a vision that we have regarding our commitment to all of Bolivia, to all Bolivians,” he stated later.
He also said that “it is with love that the country is resolved, not with hatred or divisions. It is with the ability to unite us all in order to move the country forward,” and encouraged that there be no “more dirty war in Bolivia.”
Recalling that he had offered it since the first round, Paz Pereira assured that “today, since victory, we extend our hand to govern with all the men and women who love the country.”
“This is not an ideological problem, because we Bolivians know that ideology does not give food. What gives food is the right to work, what gives food is strong institutions, what gives food is legal security, respect for private property, what gives food is having certainty in your future, and that is what we want to work on,” he assured.
His origin and political career
Born in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), on September 22, 1967, Paz Pereira is the son of former Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora, historical leader of the disappeared Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) of Bolivia, and the Spanish Carmen Pereira. He was born in the Iberian country during one of the many exiles that his father was forced into as a result of his political life.
He is married to María Elena Urquidi Barbery, with whom he has four children: Catalina, Alicia, Paulino and Elena.
Paz Pereira graduated in International Relations with a major in Economics from the American University in Washington, DC, where she also obtained a master’s degree in Political Management.
He was mayor of Tarija, southern Bolivia, between 2015 and 2020; and senator between 2020 and 2025.
God’s role in your life
Interviewee During the campaign on the Bolivian Christian channel XTO TV, Rodrigo Paz Pereira assured that God has a “central” role in his life. After remembering that he is Catholic, he highlighted that “every time I see Christ crucified there, I say, I always see the effort, the human sacrifice in that entire process.”
“If something God has given you is life, use it, keep it in mind, take care of it,” he said, highlighting that this perspective leads him to consider two aspects: “one is to love God above all things, who gives you this environment, environment; and the other is with your neighbor, that teaching of respect, of loving your neighbor.”
“If you start to look at all the possible norms or mandates it is complicated, but if you moderately comply with these two, you have a relationship that I believe is good as a family, you try to fulfill your relationship with your neighbor, because your daughter is a neighbor, your wife is a neighbor, that is, she is part of an environment. And if you conceive this first one, you also understand the large, environmental environment, the green concept, and from there many proposals have been born within the government program.”
In one declaration To the Spanish agency EFE, Paz Pereira also highlighted that in his native Santiago de Compostela “I became very devoted to Tata Santiago, who in Bolivia has a very close relationship with rural areas and the peasantry.”
“May better days come for Bolivia”
In a statement titled “New Stage for Bolivia”the Bolivian Episcopal Conference (CEB) pointed out that in the country “the challenges are great, and we trust that the new elected government will know how to face them, prioritizing the well-being of all Bolivians.”
Among these challenges, the Bolivian bishops listed: “attention to families living in poverty, improving access to health and medicines, education, preferential attention to the most vulnerable sectors, as well as the supply of fuel and economic reactivation.”
Highlighting the “peaceful democratic day” of Sunday, October 19, the bishops noted that “this participation expresses everyone’s hope: that better days will come for Bolivia.”
The CEB made “a call to all political and social actors” so that everyone “calmly assumes the results of the electoral process, respecting the sovereign decision of the Bolivian people, to work together for the good of the country.”
“To those who have been elected, we remind you that your mandate must be exercised with ethics, transparency and a spirit of service, always putting the common good before personal or party interests. Do not disappoint the trust that the people have placed in you,” they expressed.
They also asked all Bolivians to commit “to the construction of a different tomorrow, keeping hope and commitment alive in building better days for Bolivia, respecting each other and reaffirming dialogue as a path to reunion and development, to move our economy forward.”
“We entrust the present and future of our beloved Bolivia to the protection of God, Lord of life and history, and to the intercession of our Mother, the Virgin Mary. We ask our Creator to pour out his blessings on our Homeland and on the elected authorities, and inspire all Bolivians to work together for justice, reconciliation and the progress of the nation,” the bishops concluded.
Updated October 20, 2025, 12:04 pm -5 GMT: Added the message from the Bolivian Episcopal Conference after the elections.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.