PM Modi Congratulates Rodrigo Paz Pereira On Election As Bolivia President

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Rodrigo Paz Pereira on his election as Bolivia’s president.

“Warm congratulations, Mr Rodrigo Paz Pereira, on your election as the President of Bolivia,”

Modi said in a post on X.

Paz won Bolivia’s presidential election on Sunday, defeating former president Jorge Tuto Quiroga.

Highlighting the longstanding ties between the two nations, Modi said, “Close and friendly relations between India and Bolivia have long underpinned our mutually beneficial cooperation. I look forward to deepening our partnership for shared progress and prosperity in the years to come.”

Bolivians on Sunday elected a pro-business center-right senator as their new president, ending two decades of socialist rule.

With 97.8 percent of ballots counted, Rodrigo Paz had 54.6 percent of the vote to 45.4 percent for his rival, right-wing former interim president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said.

The 58-year-old son of a former president, has vowed a “capitalism for all” approach to economic reform, with decentralization, lower taxes and fiscal discipline mixed with continued social spending.

In his victory address, Paz said Bolivia was “reclaiming its place on the international stage.”

The president-elect, who will assume office on November 8, has promised that his governance style will be one of “consensus,” as he hopes to gain public trust in a divided society.

Paz also said he had received a congratulatory message from US President Donald Trump, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington “stands ready to partner with Bolivia on shared priorities.”

“After two decades of mismanagement, President-elect Paz’s election marks a transformative opportunity for both nations,” Rubio said.

Bolivia is in the grips of an economic crisis, with year-on-year inflation at 23 percent and a chronic shortage of fuel.

Paz’s party is the biggest in parliament. But with no outright majority, the new president will have to “find agreements” to rule effectively