Bolivian voters are hungry for change — and disillusioned by the options ahead of election

Описание: (16 Aug 2025)
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4597220

ASSOCIATED PRESS
La Paz, Bolivia - 15 August 2025
++STARTS ON SOUNDBITE++
1. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Isabel DeBre, Associated Press correspondent:
++PARTIALLY OVERLAID++
"I'm here in Bolivia, just days before the country holds crucial presidential and parliamentary elections. After almost 20 years of the dominant leftist party founded by charismatic former president Evo Morales, Bolivia might just take a major lurch to the right. The economy is in shambles. There's a scarcity of U.S. Dollars, a shortage of fuel that has drivers waiting days to fill up their tanks. Inflation, especially in markets like this, has soared to its highest level in decades. And all of this has given the right-wing opposition its best shot at victory for the first time since Morales came to power in 2006. The two frontrunners are Samuel Dorian Medina, a multimillionaire businessman, and Quiroga, a former president who was briefly in office in 2001. Both of these guys have actually run for the presidency three times before. So Bolivian voters are largely divided and undecided, with few feeling so excited by these candidates or their grand promises. But what everybody here can agree on is that this country does need a major change."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
El Alto, Bolivia - 15 August 2025
2. Aerial of trucks and buses form a huge line to get gas
3. Truck being filled with gas

ASSOCIATED PRESS
La Paz, Bolivia - 15 August 2025
4. Produce market
5. Close of corn

ASSOCIATED PRESS
El Alto, Bolivia - 13 August 2025
6. Various of presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina waving to supporters during his closing campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS
La Paz, Bolivia - 13 August 2025
++NIGHT SHOTS++
7. Various of presidential candidate Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga waving and speaking to supporters during his closing campaign
STORYLINE:
Bolivia is days away from a pivotal election that could see the nation shift to a right-wing government after nearly 20 years under the dominant leftist party founded by former president Evo Morales.

The election is set against a backdrop of a deepening economic crisis. A scarcity of U.S. dollars and a significant fuel shortage have caused widespread disruption across the country.

Drivers have reported waiting in lines for days simply to refuel their vehicles.

Adding to the public's frustration, inflation has surged to a multi-decade high, impacting the price of consumer goods.

These challenging conditions have provided a strong opportunity for the right-wing opposition to gain power.

The leading candidates are Samuel Doria Medina, a businessman, and Tuto Quiroga, who briefly served as president in 2001. Both are veteran political figures, having each run for the presidency three times previously.

While voter sentiment is reportedly divided and largely unenthusiastic about the specific candidates and their platforms, there is a broad consensus among the population that the country needs a significant change.

AP Video shot by Victor R. Caivano

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