Economic Crisis

President-elect Rodrigo Paz will take office on Saturday, stepping into leadership as Bolivia grapples with its worst economic downturn in decades and prepares for politically sensitive reforms aimed at restoring fiscal stability.

Paz, a centrist former senator from the Christian Democratic Party, won the October 19 runoff election, ending nearly 20 years of leftist rule by the Movement to Socialism (MAS). His victory marks a major political shift for the Andean nation, which has struggled with high inflation, dwindling reserves, and declining energy exports. “When Paz steps in, he won’t have any liquid reserves in the central bank to import …