Bolivia heads to a runoff after an election ends two decades of ruling party dominance

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s presidential vote is headed to an unprecedented runoff after Sunday’s election ended over two decades of ruling party dominance in the Andean nation.

A centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the front-runners, although not enough to secure an outright victory, early results showed.

Paz, a former mayor who has sought to soften the edges of the opposition’s push for austerity to rescue Bolivia from a looming economic collapse, will face off against former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, who finished second. Bolivia holds the presidential runoff — its first since its 1982 return to democracy — on Oct. 19.

“This economic model must change,” Paz declared to crowds who cheered and chanted, “Renewal!”

Paz’s campaign had gained unexpected traction as he teamed up with Edman Lara, a social media savvy ex-police captain with evangelical backing whose supporters see him as someone willing to stand up to corruption in the security forces.

With over 91% of the ballots counted Sunday, Paz received 32.8% of the votes cast. Quiroga secured 26.4%. Candidates needed to surpass 50%, or 40% with a 10-point margin of victory, to avoid a runoff.