Bolivia’s once-hegemonic left-wing party, Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas), is on the brink of oblivion as the country prepares for its most crucial election in decades. The upcoming presidential race has pitted two right-wing candidates, Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, against each other, leaving the left with little to no chance of regaining power.
President Luis Arce, a former finance minister under Morales, nominated his 36-year-old minister of government, Eduardo del Castillo, despite polling below 3%, the minimum threshold for a party to remain eligible. Analysts argue that this move will mark the end of Mas’s 20-year cycle in power.
Polls show Doria Medina and Quiroga facing off in a potential runoff. Both candidates advocate spending cuts as their main strategy to tackle Bolivia’s economic crisis, which has deepened since Morales’ presidency. The country faces shortages of fuel and US dollars, leading to high inflation and long queues for basic necessities.
Despite the dire situation, some voters remain loyal to Morales, who was barred from running due to constitutional and electoral court rulings. However, many have abandoned the party in search of alternatives. Leticia Guarachi Padilla, a leftist entrepreneur, plans to spoil her ballot in protest over Morales’ exclusion.
Bolivia’s clock, installed by David Choquehuanca in 2014, has become an emblem of the left’s decline. The anti-clockwise timepiece was meant to symbolize the country’s “decolonial and anti-imperialist” worldview but now represents a perceived backwardness.
Physicist Francesco Zaratti has long argued that the clock makes no scientific sense. With inflation soaring and economic crisis worsening, many Bolivians are eager for change and hope the next president will improve their country.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/15/bolivia-presidential-election-right-wing