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Polls have closed in Bolivia in a presidential election run-off between two pro-market candidates, marking the end of nearly two decades of socialist rule and the start of a likely realignment towards the United States, Al Jazeera reported. Voting stations opened at 8am local time (12:00 GMT) and closed at 4pm (20:00 GMT) on Sunday. Initial results will emerge in a few hours’ time, with the official decision expected by Thursday. The vote pitted conservative former interim President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, 65, against a centrist senator and economist, Rodrigo Paz, the 58-year-old son of former left-wing President Jaime Zamora. Polls showed a tight race, with Quiroga holding a narrow lead. Both men have promised to overhaul Bolivia’s crisis-hit economy and restore the relationship with the US after years of tense, often hostile, ties under the left-wing governments of Evo Morales and his successor, outgoing President Luis Arce. The governing Movement Towards Socialism party (MAS), racked by division, failed to advance a candidate to the run-off election, meaning its leadership is slated to come to an end. Support for MAS, which has dominated Bolivian politics since Morales first took power in 2006, all but collapsed in the first round of voting in August.
