STORY: Jorge Tuto Quiroga, presidential candidate of Bolivia’s Libre Alliance party, concluded his campaign in El Alto on Saturday (August 9), becoming the first candidate to wrap up a week before the first round of the general elections on August 17.

Quiroga rode through the main streets on top of a tanker, symbolizing his promise to end fuel queues. “With us, fuel will arrive without corruption, without queues, and readily available,” he stated during an exclusive Reuters interview.

He expressed his ambition to transform Bolivia into a global lithium powerhouse and pledged a radical overhaul.

Bolivia is currently grappling with a severe economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves, and fiscal deficits. The country's international bonds have rallied as investors hope for a political shift following the presidential election, which could potentially lead to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.

Bolivia's debt situation is precarious, with external debt reaching about $13.3 billion and reserves at a record low of approximately $165 million.

The political landscape is marked by a power struggle within the incumbent Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, and the election could bring significant changes, including addressing the dollar shortage and tackling corruption. However, substantial reforms will be necessary to stabilize the economy and unlock potential loans from international lenders.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: EL ALTO, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 9, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PHOTOGRAPH OF BOLIVIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JORGE TUTO QUIROGA FOR THE LIBRE ALLIANCE PARTY ON A DRUM

2. VARIOUS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE PLAYING MUSIC AT QUIROGA’S CAMPAIGN

3. VARIOUS OF QUIROGA WALKING AMONG SUPPORTERS DURING HIS CAMPAIGN CLOSING EVENT

4. MEMBER OF THE CROWD PLACING FLOWER WREATH OVER QUIROGA’S NECK

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR THE LIBRE ALLIANCE PARTY, JORGE TUTO QUIROGA, SAYING:

“We need an international program, I have been saying for years, of 12 billion dollars to end fuel queues. Here I am standing on a tanker. With us, fuel will arrive without corruption, without queues and will be available. To end the inflation, we will close the faucet of the Central Bank, the credit card of spending and theft. We will stop inflation, so that there is no anxiety, like when you go to the smarket and you don't have enough money to fill your basket.”

6. VARIOUS OF QUIROGA GREETING SUPPORTERS FROM THE TOP OF A TANKER

7. SUPPORTERS OF QUIROGA CHANTING (Spanish): “You can feel it, Tuto president!”

8. CROWD OF SUPPORTERS GATHERING FOR CAMPAIGN EVENT

9. QUIROGA HOLDING HANDS WITH LOCAL MEMBERS OF THE LIBRE ALLIANCE PARTY

10. VARIOUS OF QUIROGA ON STAGE FOR THE CAMPAIGN CLOSING EVENT

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR THE LIBRE ALLIANCE PARTY, JORGE TUTO QUIROGA, SAYING:

“I am not lukewarm, I am not timid, we are going for radical change: hydrocarbon law, agricultural, evaporitic. The mining code, new judicial system, tax system 10-10-10 (In reference to the 10-10-10 tax system where a 10% tax rate is applied to three main types of taxes: consumption, rent and corporates), constitutional reform. We will change everything to bring in investment, generate exportation and 750,000 jobs, along with a digital Bolivia, with total autonomy making Bolivia a global lithium powerhouse and a place where we manufacture lithium batteries.”

12. SUPPORTER WEARING PINS IN SUPPORT OF QUIROGA

13. RED PONCHO HOLDING A FLAG SUPPORTING QUIROGA (Ed’s note: The red ponchos in Bolivia are indigenous community members known for their distinctive red garments, often associated with political activism and support for certain political candidates or movements)

14. RED PONCHO CHEWING COCA LEAVES

15. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS WITH FLAGS SUPPORTING QUIROGA

16. SUPPORTER WITH QUIROGA PARTY COLOR PAINTED ON HER FACE AND A HAT READING (English): “Make Bolivia sexy again.”

17. SUPPORTER WITH BANNER OF THE LIBRE ALLIANCE ON HER BACK