La Paz, Bolivia – In a landmark election that signals ‍a dramatic shift in Bolivian politics, Rodrigo⁢ Paz Pereira of teh Christian ⁣Democratic ⁣Party⁤ (PDC) has been elected president. Preliminary results released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) show Paz Pereira securing 54.57% of⁤ the vote in sunday’s runoff election, defeating former conservative president Jorge Tuto ⁤Quiroga, who ‍garnered 45.43%.

This⁢ election marks the first time in ⁢Bolivia’s ⁢history that a presidential race has gone ⁤to a⁣ second round, a provision established by the 2009 Constitution. The need for a runoff stemmed from⁤ the August general elections, where neither⁤ Paz Pereira nor Quiroga achieved the necessary⁢ majority to win outright, despite also renewing the national Parliament for the next five-year term.

What’s particularly ⁣striking is the high ‍level of civic engagement. With over 97% of the votes tallied,citizen participation reached an impressive 85-89%,demonstrating a clear desire for change and a commitment to the democratic process. The TSE, led by acting president Óscar Hassenteufel, reported ⁤a calm and⁢ incident-free voting day, allowing all citizens to exercise their right to⁤ vote. The efficiency of the Preliminary Results Transmission ⁣System (Sirepre) ⁤- wich also performed well in the first round – facilitated a swift and clear count.

The outcome effectively ends two decades of rule by‍ the leftist movement towards Socialism (MAS). Paz Pereira, ⁢running with