Description: Bolivia’s presidential and congressional elections have delivered a dramatic shift in the country’s political landscape as voters turned towards supporting the right – wing and conservative political parties. The two leading right – wing candidates are the business owner Samuel Doria Medina and the former President of Bolivia, Jorge Fernando Quiroga, who are promising rapid fundamental changes in the country which is facing double digit inflation in one of the worst economic crises in the history of Bolivia. Right – wing and conservative candidates dominate the congressional elections as well, with more than 30% of the country’s voting population remaining undecided and adding to the uncertainty regarding the results. Bolivia would almost certainly wean off it’s leftist and socialist rule under ex – President Evo Morales which has positioned its country as adversarial to the US and the West in general and devised close ties with Venezuela, Russia and China.
Impact: Bolivia’s presidential and congressional elections would effectively determine the country’s long – term strategic path which according to the dramatic shift towards conservatism indicates closer ties to the current US administration and its partners. The landlocked south American country also has the largest deposits of lithium which is crucial in the ongoing geopolitical battle over rare earth elements between the US and China, crucial for the development of high-tech products and dominance on the technology markets. The country is also divided between its urban voting body and its rural and agricultural voters, which could sway the results of the election on either side, as the 30% of undecided voters indicate. The sudden shift from leftist and socialist rule also poses a risk to internal stability, with right – wing governments traditionally focusing on enhancing the government controlling apparatus, such as military and law enforcement instead of incentivizing economic growth, which could potentially cause public unrest and early renouncement of the new government and President of the country with untapped natural resources.