US and Latin American nations back Bolivia’s new president-elect

Nine countries from the Americas, including Argentina and the United States, expressed their support on Tuesday for Bolivia’s new president-elect Rodrigo Paz, following his victory in last Sunday’s run-off.

The United States and eight Latin American countries noted that the vote and result is “a departure from the economic mismanagement of the past two decades.”

The statement released by the US State Department was co-signed by Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.

“The signatory countries stand ready to support the incoming administration’s efforts to stabilise Bolivia’s economy and open it to the world, strengthen its democratic institutions, and boost international trade and investment,” the text read.

The victory of Paz, a senator seen as centre-right and pro-capitalist, “reflects the will of the Bolivian people to embrace change and chart a new course for their nation and our region, marking a break from the economic mismanagement of the past two decades,” the statement added.

The region’s leftist governments were not signatories to the statement.

Paz, a 58-year-old economist, won Bolivia's presidential run-off with 54.5 percent of the vote, defeating former right-wing president Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga.

The Christian Democratic Party leader will take office on November 8.

One of Paz’s first announcements after his victory was to publicly state his intention to restore relations with Washington, which were severed in 2008 when then-president Evo Morales expelled the US ambassador, accusing him of conspiring with the opposition.

Morales, a fierce leftist, also expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from the country during his time in office.

– TIMES/AFP