Presidential Poll and Debate | Encuesta y debate presidencial

By Guido Añez, Eju.tv:

Yesterday was one of those days in an electoral campaign that leaves no room for indifference, with a poll released by El Deber and a debate organized by the TSE from Santa Cruz.

Both events were very significant and revealing.

The poll presented some interesting developments.

First, the surprising rise of Rodrigo Paz Pereyra to third place, displacing both Manfred and Andrónico. The most striking is Andrónico’s decline—Manfred was already falling, but Andrónico’s lack of strategy and capability is beginning to take its toll.

Rodrigo, although weak in Tarija and Santa Cruz, is very strong and consistent in La Paz, Oruro, and Potosí. If this upward trend continues, he could replicate what Jaime did in 1985 with a clear third place and 10% of the vote, which solidified the MIR as the third national political force behind ADN and MNR—that should be his main goal.

His running mate, Lara, has significantly boosted Rodrigo’s candidacy.

Samuel once again tops the polls—this is the ninth one showing him in first place. A good sign for him is his clear lead in La Paz and a 6-point advantage over Tuto in Santa Cruz, reflecting how the Luis Fernando Camacho effect remains alive in the memory and vote of the people of Santa Cruz. He leads in five departments, with solid, arguably consolidated victories in Tarija and Beni, although he remains very weak in Cochabamba, Potosí, Chuquisaca, and Oruro.

Tuto likely did not expect such a negative gap in Santa Cruz, a department where he invested most of his efforts and resources. However, the fragility of his alliances, the aggressiveness of his spokespersons, and the heterogeneous leadership around him—perceived by the public as lacking cohesion—are costing him. He has made strong comebacks in Cochabamba, Potosí, and Oruro, largely at the expense of Manfred’s decline. Though Manfred may be a good mayor, he is far from a viable candidate.

Andrónico is not what he’s made out to be. He is beginning to bear the brunt of the MAS’s disastrous political and economic record. His only potential rescue lies in Evo changing his political stance of promoting the null vote—which appears to be gaining traction, especially in Cochabamba (15.3%), Pando (8.5%), and La Paz (6.9%).

If Evo insists on appearing on the ballot as a “Null Vote” figure, Andrónico is finished. But if the Puebla Group convinces Evo that Bolivia cannot be lost and he must back Andrónico, the electoral landscape could shift in the final week.

I have information about emissaries from the Puebla Group in El Chapare—so far, without positive results.

The Null Vote strategy has a subversive and destabilizing political aim. Evo is betting that “the right” wins, but with a weak government. In a runoff, he hopes to expand the null vote base by adding Andrónico’s support, weakening the government from the start, knowing it will need to take harsh and unpopular measures to stabilize the economy and restore national outlook. From the streets and with Andrónico’s parliamentary bloc, Evo aims to repeat what he did to Goni in 2003 and Jeanine in 2019: weaken the government through thuggish, gang-like tactics to position himself again as a political alternative. It must be remembered: MAS, in any faction, is neither democratic nor respectful of election results and remains heavily aligned with dictatorships in Iran, Russia, China, etc.

I won’t address the other candidates—they have no real chance of competing for power.

As for the debate—I liked it. Agile format, kind yet firm moderators. Samuel and Tuto were very solid—both statesmen. Samuel responded cleverly when attacked, while Tuto seriously worked on forging alliances for a likely second round, signaling to Manfred and Rodrigo Paz. Rodrigo appeared solid, drawing on his political and parliamentary experience. Manfred, very basic in his remarks; Jhonny was a clown. Andrónico did everything he could to win back votes from El Chapare and Evo’s favor throughout the debate—it’s clear he lacks independent appeal. Del Castillo was aggressive, especially toward Samuel, and the ADN candidate simply wasn’t up to the task. As I listened to him, I thought of my friend Freddy Terrazas, who gave his life defending that party’s name, and now it might be lost.

Since there is no law regulating debates, there’s no limit on participation. However, it would be wise if the final debate includes only candidates with a real chance of competing.

Four of them didn’t belong on that stage.

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