Polls open in Bolivia’s national elections that could end decades of socialist rule

La Paz, Bolivia Associated Press —

After a lackluster campaign overshadowed by a looming economic collapse, Bolivians voted on Sunday for a new president and parliament in elections that could see a right-wing government elected for the first time in over two decades.

The vote, which could spell the end of the Andean nation’s long-dominant leftist party, is one of the most consequential for Bolivia in recent times - and one of the most unpredictable.

In the run-up to Sunday, a remarkable 30% or so of voters remained undecided. Polls showed the two leading right-wing candidates, multimillionaire business owner Samuel Doria Medina and former President Jorge Fernando “Tuto” Quiroga, locked in a virtual dead heat.

Voting is mandatory in Bolivia, where some 7.9 million Bolivians are eli