Preliminary results show that Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator who was never a nationally prominent figure until now, has won Bolivia’s presidential election, galvanizing voters outraged by the country’s economic crisis and frustrated with 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party.

Preliminary results show that Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator who was never a nationally prominent figure until now, has won Bolivia’s presidential election, galvanizing voters outraged by the country’s economic crisis and frustrated with 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party.

After nearly two decades of one-party rule and a worsening currency and fuel crisis, Bolivia is shifting to the right.

Centrist Bolivian presidential front-runner Rodrigo Paz is hoping to attract a diverse group of voters with catchall rhetoric to fix Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga was once seen as a sideshow in Bolivia’s presidential races, his pleas for free markets and small government falling on deaf ears in a country dominated by leftism.

Bolivia heads into an Oct. 19 runoff between centrist Rodrigo Paz Pereira and right-wing ex-president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga after nearly 20 years of socialist rule.

One candidate is Rodrigo Paz, a conservative centrist senator and son of a neoliberal ex-president who is pitching himself as a moderate reformer.

With the last campaigns only one day in the rearview mirror, Bolivia’s political world has delved into preparations for an unprecedented runoff election that will reveal the extent of a centrist senator’s unexpected traction in the presidential vote.

Early results in Bolivia's presidential election show the country headed for an unprecedented runoff following a vote in which a dark horse centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the right-wing front-runners, although not enough to secure an outright victory.