General elections were held in Bolivia on 17 August 2025 to elect the president, vice president, and all members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Incumbent president Luis Arce of the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS-IPSP) did not seek reelection, amid internal party divisions and widespread dissatisfaction over shortages of essential goods. No candidate secured a majority in the presidential election, leading to a runoff on 19 October 2025 between Senator Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and former president Jorge Quiroga of Libre. Paz won with 55.0% of the vote, marking the first time in Bolivian history that the presidency changed hands through a runoff election and ending two decades of MAS dominance. Meanwhile, MAS retained only two seats in the Chamber of Deputies while losing all seats in the Senate.

Background

The election was held amid a schism within the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) between incumbent president Luis Arce and former president Evo Morales. The former allies fell out after Arce's election in 2020, when Morales—returning from exile following the political unrest triggered by his contested reelection bid—sought to regain control of the party. Public dissatisfaction with the Arce government was further spurred by shortages of essential goods like gasoline, diesel, food, and medicine in late 2024 and early 2025.

Morales announced his intention to run as the candidate of the Front for Victory (FPV), despite a ban from the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal on his running for president again. The government subsequently deregistered the FPV, citing its failure to meet the mandatory 3% threshold in the previous election. In reaction to being barred from the race, Morales called for a boycott of the vote. From a rural compound guarded by supporters, he promised to mobilize his supporters and "give battle on the streets" if a right-wing candidate won. Right-wing figures like Jorge Quiroga vowed to arrest Morales if they won, leading rural coca unions such as the Six Federations to pledge a guerrilla war in his defense.

On 14 May 2025, President Arce announced he would not seek a second term. The MAS nominated government minister Eduardo Del Castillo in his place. Two days later, on 16 May, demonstrators attempting to register Morales as a candidate clashed with police in La Paz.

Meanwhile, right-leaning parties formed a Unity Bloc to oppose the MAS; its candidates included Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge Quiroga. Several candidates, including Quiroga and Chi Hyun Chung, registered their campaigns using minor party labels, such as the Revolutionary Left Front (FRI) and the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), despite the historical ideological differences between these parties and the candidates.

Electoral system

Approximately 7.9 million people were eligible to vote in the 2025 election.

The President is elected through a modified two-round system. A candidate wins outright in the first round by receiving either more than 50% of the vote, or at least 40% of the vote and a lead of 10 percentage points over the nearest rival. If neither condition is met, a run-off is held between the top two candidates.

The 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected through a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system with two votes:

63 deputies are elected by first-past-the-post in single-member districts. 60 deputies are elected by party-list proportional representation from closed lists on a departmental basis, using a 3% electoral threshold. These list seats are allocated to parties proportionally based on the presidential vote, subtracting the seats they won in single-member districts to ensure overall proportionality. 7 deputies are reserved for indigenous representatives and elected by usos y costumbres (customary law). A voter may only vote in one type of constituency (coexistence). Electoral rules mandate gender parity: party lists must alternate between men and women. For single-member districts, a male candidate must have a female alternate, and vice versa, ensuring that women hold at least 50% of these seats.

The 36 members of the Chamber of Senators—four from each of the nine departments—are elected from closed party lists using the D'Hondt method. Senate seats are also awarded based on the presidential vote.

This election uses a form of the double simultaneous vote, meaning a single vote is used to elect the President (first round), Deputies, and Senators simultaneously. Consequently, voters cannot split their ticket between the executive and legislative branches, though they can vote for a different party in the single-member deputy district elections.

Voting is compulsory for all citizens over 18. Voters receive a card as proof of participation, which is required to withdraw one's salary from a bank for three months following the election. This compulsory voting is linked to a relatively high rate of invalid ballots, a factor often reflected in poll percentages for "would not vote."

Candidates CandidacyParties andalliances Experience Vice Presidential candidate width="1" Andrónico Rodríguez(age ) AP President of the Chamber of Senators Senator for Cochabamba Mariana Prado Pavel Aracena(age ) LYP-ADN Engineer Victor Hugo Núñez del Prado Manfred Reyes Villa(age ) APB Súmate Mayor of Cochabamba Prefect of Cochabamba Presidential candidate in 2002 and 2009 Juan Carlos Medrano Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga(age ) Libre 62nd President of Bolivia 36th Vice President of Bolivia Minister of Finance Presidential candidate in 2005 and 2014 Juan Pablo Velasco Jhonny Fernández(age ) FP Mayor of Santa Cruz de la Sierra Presidential candidate in 2002 Rosa Huanca Eduardo Del Castillo(age ) MAS-IPSP Minister of Government Milan Berna Samuel Doria Medina(age ) Unidad Minister of Planning and Coordination Presidential candidate in 2005, 2009 and 2014 José Luis Lupo Rodrigo Paz(age ) PDC Senator for Tarija Mayor of Tarija Deputy for Tarija Edmand Lara

Withdrew CandidacyParties andalliances Experience Vice Presidential candidate Withdrawal date width="1" Fidel Tapia NGP None Edgar Uriona Veizaga 26 June 2025 Eva Copa(age ) MORENA Mayor of El Alto President of the Chamber of Senators Senator for La Paz Jorge Richter28 July 2025

Disqualified candidates The following notable individuals were the subject of speculation or declared their intention to run but were declared ineligible by the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (TCP) or were otherwise unable to register as candidates.

Evo Morales (EVO Pueblo) – 65th President of Bolivia (2006–2019). Chi Hyun Chung (AMAR) – Physician and presidential candidate in the 2019 Bolivian general election. Jaime Dunn (NGP) – Financial adviser.

Declined to run The following notable individuals were the subject of speculation about a potential candidacy but publicly declined to run:

Luis Arce (MAS-IPSP) – Former president of Bolivia (2020–2025). Initially considered a candidate, he later announced he would not seek re-election. Carlos Mesa (CC) – Former president of Bolivia (2003–2005). Luis Fernando Camacho (Creemos) – Governor of Santa Cruz (2021–present). Was in prison during the election. Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé (Independent) – Former president of Bolivia (2005–2006). Rubén Costas (MDS) – Former governor of the department of Santa Cruz (2015–2021). Branko Marinković (ADN) – Former minister of economy and public finance (2020). Amparo Ballivián – Former minister of housing. Vicente Cuéllar (Cambio25) – Rector of the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University. Jaime Soliz (PDC) – Former prosecutor of the department of Santa Cruz (2005–2010).

Campaign The campaign was marked by the first televised debate in 20 years, following a ban imposed during Evo Morales's presidency. The debates featured sharp exchanges, including Samuel Doria Medina's accusations that Eduardo del Castillo had links to drug traffickers and del Castillo's criticism of Doria Medina's past electoral failures. Andrónico Rodríguez and Jorge Quiroga also clashed over alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.

Candidate platforms The right-leaning candidates, Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, presented similar platforms focused on economic liberalization and a foreign policy re-alignment. Both pledged to:

Arrest former president Evo Morales. Restore diplomatic relations with the United States and Israel. Cut public spending and eliminate fuel subsidies. Partially reverse the nationalizations under Morales and attract foreign investment, particularly for lithium mining. Dismantle inefficient state-owned companies.

Doria Medina specifically promised to resolve fuel shortages within his first 100 days, a goal reflected in his campaign slogan, "100 days, dammit!"—a phrase he used after surviving a 2005 plane crash. He also pledged to maintain anti-poverty programs.

Quiroga proposed a more radical economic overhaul, praising Argentine president Javier Milei's libertarian policies. His proposals included:

Closing the Central Bank of Bolivia, which he accused of being a "credit card" for the Arce administration. Establishing a "popular property title" valued at $1,500 for every adult Bolivian to use as loan collateral. Seeking a $12 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund. A "liberal ownership revolution" to replace collective Indigenous land titles with individual, inheritable rights. Canceling lithium agreements with Russia and China signed under Arce. Distancing Bolivia from Iran and withdrawing recognition of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela.

Rodrigo Paz campaigned on a platform of "Capitalism for All", which included:

A "50–50 economic model" where half of public funds would be managed by regional governments. Cutting $1.2 billion in fuel subsidies while retaining assistance for schoolchildren and the elderly. Using blockchain for transparency and creating a currency stabilization fund that incorporates cryptocurrency. Opposing Doria Medina's proposals for foreign lithium investment and IMF loans.

The MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, campaigned under the slogan "We Are a National Option with Authentic Ideas," while his party colleague Andrónico Rodríguez ran on a platform of "Unity for All" and also supported cutting fuel subsidies.

Environmental and post-first round dynamics On environmental policy, both Paz and Quiroga supported using carbon bonds. Quiroga advocated for expanding biofuel production and soy and cattle farming in eastern Bolivia, while Paz pledged to crack down on illegal gold mining and regulate agricultural fires.

After being barred from the election, Evo Morales called the vote illegitimate, labeled Rodríguez a "traitor", and urged his supporters to cast null ballots. He claimed that if null votes exceeded the winning candidate's share - a situation that eventually did not materialize, as both candidates who advanced to the runoff exceeded the null vote share - it would represent a victory for him.

Following the first round, Samuel Doria Medina endorsed Rodrigo Paz for the runoff.

Opinion polls

Runoff Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample size Blank vote Void vote Undecided Quiroga Paz Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL 2,500 44.9 36.5 3.7 5.6 9.3 Captura Consulting/Red Uno 2,560 42.9 38.7 2.6 5.8 10.0 CB Consultora Opinión Pública 1,028 44.4 36.2 12.1 7.3Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL 2,500 47.0 39.3 3.5 4.7 5.5

First round

After registration of candidacies