Rodrigo Paz of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party in Bolivia has been elected as the country’s new president, ending almost 20 years of socialit leadership. Paz’s party does not hold a majority in the country’s legislature, which will force him to forge alliances to govern effectively. Paz takes office on November 8.

With 97 per cent of ballots counted, Paz won 54.5 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s run-off race, well ahead of right-wing former interim President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, who got 45.4 per cent. The 58-year-old centrist Senator and economist, son of former leftist President Jaime Zamora, studied economics in the US before returning home to join politics, promising “capitalism for all”.