Okay News reports that hundreds of Bolivians took to the streets on Monday to protest alleged fraud in the country’s presidential election. The unrest followed the announcement that center-right candidate Rodrigo Paz won the runoff vote.
Paz, a 58-year-old economist and senator, secured 54.5% of the votes against former president Jorge Quiroga. Protesters in La Paz shouted “fraud” and tried to march toward government offices, but police dispersed the crowd without reported clashes.
Quiroga conceded defeat and congratulated Paz while promising that election records would be verified in the coming days to address claims of irregularities. Social media has circulated various allegations, although none have been officially confirmed.
Paz’s win ends two decades of left-wing governance in Bolivia, which is facing its worst economic crisis in 40 years. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal, led by Oscar Hassenteufel, denied any irregularities, stating, “The word fraud should be banned from Bolivia.”
Some citizens remain skeptical. Student Pablo Perez, 23, told AFP, “What is outrageous is that there was fraud and the vote was not respected.”
