Bolivians expressed hopes of radical change on Sunday as they voted in elections shaped by a generational economic crisis, which has given the right its first shot at power in 20 years.

The Andean nation's ailing economy has seen annual inflation hit almost 25 percent with critical shortages of fuel and dollars, the currency in which most Bolivians keep their savings.

Polls show voters poised to punish the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (known by its Spanish acronym MAS), in power since Evo Morales was elected the nation's first Indigenous president in 2005.

"The left has done us a lot of harm. I want change for the country," said Miriam Escobar, a 60-year-old pensioner, who was the first to vote at a school in southern La Paz.

More than 7.9 million Bolivians are obliged by law to c

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