Senator Rodrigo Paz, the surprise top finisher in Bolivia's first-round presidential election, spent years traveling the country, posting hundreds of social media videos and honing his image like a full-time influencer.

The 57-year-old center-right economist secured 32.1 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, followed by right-wing former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who took 26.8 percent, according to official preliminary results.

It's unclear if lingering name recognition may have helped Paz, the son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, who led Bolivia from 1989 to 1993 and ran for re-election twice, finishing fourth both times.

But just one week before the election, the polls were still placing Paz between third and fifth place in the six-way race.

"He has charisma like his

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