By Monica Machicao and Lucinda Elliott
LA PAZ (Reuters) -Bolivian Senator Rodrigo Paz is seeking to build on his surprise first-round lead as he prepares to face conservative rival Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga in Sunday's presidential runoff.
Running for the centrist Christian Democratic Party, Paz defied expectations in the August 17 first round, securing 32% of the vote, well ahead of opinion poll predictions.
His moderate platform has resonated with voters disillusioned by the ruling Movement to Socialism party founded by Evo Morales, which suffered its worst electoral defeat in a generation amid a deepening economic crisis.
"Bolivia is not socialist," Paz said during a campaign event last month in western Bolivia.
"Bolivia works with capital, works with money... because 85% of the economy is informal."
Paz, 58, was born in Spain during his family's exile under Bolivia's military dictatorship and graduated from the American University in Washington. His father is former President Jaime Paz Zamora, who ruled Bolivia from 1989 to 1993.
Paz junior began his political career in Bolivia's gas-producing southern region, Tarija, gradually advancing from city councilor to senator.
He has positioned himself as a centrist candidate, pledging to maintain social programs for the poor while promoting private sector-led growth. His economic plan includes tax incentives for small businesses and the self-employed, and greater fiscal autonomy for regional governments.
"Ideologies don't put food on the table," he said.
Like his opponent Quiroga, he has said he wants to improve diplomatic ties with Western countries, including the United States, after years where Bolivia had aligned itself with Russia and China.
PROMISES TO KEEP BENEFITS
To win over left-leaning voters who abandoned the socialists but are wary of cost-cutting pledged by Quiroga, Paz has adopted a more populist tone than in the first round.
"From day one, we will have fuel, we will have tax incentives," Paz said in a televised debate on October 12. "All social benefits will be respected."
Opponents say those promises are unrealistic, and economists warn that whoever wins will have their work cut out for them.
"The fiscal hole is immense," said Jonathan Fortun at the Institute of International Finance. "The question is not whether adjustment comes, but how fast and how disruptive it will be."
Paz's first-round support was lifted by running mate Edman Lara, a former police officer known for viral TikTok videos exposing corruption.
Pamela Espinoza, a 32-year-old shop owner from La Paz, said the duo inspired more confidence than Quiroga does.
"Paz and Lara are closer to the people," said Espinoza, who voted for businessman Samuel Doria Medina in the first round but now plans to support Paz.
Opinion polls suggest a tight race. Quiroga leads voting intentions with 42.9%, ahead of Paz with 38.7%, according to an October survey by Red Uno. Another poll indicated a late swing toward Paz, with 10% of undecided voters moving in his direction.
(Reporting by Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo and Monica Machicao in La Paz. Additional reporting by Daniel Ramos in La Paz. Editing by Christian Plumb and Rosalba O'Brien)
