Sawt Falasteen - From TikTok to frontrunner, inside Paz's presidential campaign in Bolivia

The 57-year-old center-right economist secured 32.1 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, followed by right-wing former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who took 26.8 percent, according to official preliminary results.

It's unclear if lingering name recognition may have helped Paz, the son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, who led Bolivia from 1989 to 1993 and ran for re-election twice, finishing fourth both times.

But just one week before the election, the polls were still placing Paz between third and fifth place in the six-way race.

"He has charisma like his father," said Sara Medina, a 51-year-old lawyer in a plaza in Tarija. "He knew how to reach the people."

Paz and Quiroga will compete in a runoff on October 19 to decide who will end 20 years of left-wing government in the Latin American country.

Though his rivals dominated television screens and filled streets with ads, charismatic Paz connected to the electorate through a combination of social media savvy and the traditional tool of politicians everywhere: pressing the flesh and face-to-face interactions.

- Without money -

Paz didn't rely on jingles, political fliers or renting venues for rallies.

"This is a case where authenticity and digital storytelling have overcome the traditional machinery of mass media and money," said Erick Hurtado, a Bolivian political marketing expert.

And while his team applied their own guerrilla marketing strategy, Paz is hardly an outsider. His experience in politics runs two decades deep, having served as mayor, councilor, deputy and senator under the Christian Democratic Party banner.

His popularity has only grown since adding Edman Lara -- nicknamed "Captain Lara" -- to the ticket as vice president, thanks to his spontaneity and popularity on social media.

"They connected directly with... a younger, more popular electorate," Hurtado said.

Since 2023, Lara has become an anti-corruption champion, using videos and livestreams to reveal police abuse on Instagram and TikTok, garnering tens of thousands of likes and comments.

"While Lara worked social media, Rodrigo traveled to many places across the country" on bare bones road trips, reaching far-flung destinations after long hours of travel, Hurtado said.

Paz says he has visited 220 of Bolivia's 340 municipalities since he began his tours four years ago.

In July, when Paz was excluded from a business forum in Bolivia's economic hub, Santa Cruz, his campaign crashed the event.

They hoisted a massive banner with a phone number on it, cajoling organizers "to invite the candidate" to participate in forums and debates, gaining traction online.

Monday, the day after the first round elections, Lara stole the show during a rally attended by thousands of supporters in El Alto.

"I am the guarantee. If Rodrigo Paz does not deliver, I will confront him," he said, issuing a warning to his own running mate.

- Center stage -

While Paz won with an overwhelming 46.9 percent of the vote in the capital city, he only took third place in his home region of Tarija -- reflecting voter dissatisfaction with his performance there as mayor.

"His name carries historical weight, but he hasn't won the support of his own turf," Hurtado said. "There was a sort of punitive vote."

The next round of voting will be different for Paz and Lara, who will now be at the center of national debate, and the target for attacks.

"They are no longer the unexpected contenders," Hurtado said. "They need to deepen their narrative, expand their proposals, and shield themselves from social and digital warfare," while maintaining a personal touch with voters.

With two months left before the runoff, Hurtado warns, "Captain Lara's anti-corruption discourse has been powerful, but it's not enough to govern."

X.AbuJaber--SF-PST