Mas party faces a new political test

El Alto marks a turning point as Mas loses its traditional base and eyes a shrinking political footprint.

Mas party loses grip as Bolivia faces a political shakeup

In El Alto, the city’s tall cholets with bright facades and pop culture motifs symbolize a boom that helped Mas rise. In Sunday’s vote, Mas won only 3.16 percent, barely above the 3 percent threshold to stay on the ballot, pushing the race into a runoff between right wing candidates Paz Pereira and Jorge Quiroga. Early estimates indicate Mas could end with a single lower-house seat and no Senate seats.

Analysts say the decline reflects a mix of factors: an internal rift between Morales and current Mas leader Luis Arce, a cooling energy sector, and a string of corruption and project controversies that dented trust. Morales’s bid for a fourth term in 2019 was viewed as unconstitutional; he resigned after mass protests. A reopened case alleging Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl led to an arrest warrant, complicating Mas’s governance narrative. Nationally, blank votes surged to 19 percent and rose in Mas strongholds such as El Alto, signaling discontent even where Mas once thrived. Some observers note Paz Pereira’s outreach to artisans, small business owners, and farmers broadened the field against Mas.

Mas’s decline exposes deeper vulnerabilities in Bolivia’s leftist politics. A party built on a commodity boom and Indigenous symbolism now faces the danger of being defined by internal clashes and perceived misgovernance rather than policy wins. The split between Morales and Arce has left Mas without a clear, unifying platform, while economic strains tighten public patience. Rebuilding legitimacy will require focus on governance, transparency, and a credible plan for diversification beyond energy rents.

The result is a potential realignment in which center and right-leaning groups can press for reform while leftist voters search for steadier leadership. The question is whether Mas can reinvent itself fast enough to avoid permanent marginalization, or if Bolivia will see a longer period of political volatility as new coalitions form and test voters’ appetite for change.

Highlights

The next phase will test whether Bolivia can turn political ambition into durable governance.