Bolivia will hold a presidential election on 17 August, the first in two decades without either President Luis Arce or his mentor Evo Morales on the ballot. Roughly 7.9 million citizens are expected to choose a successor to Arce, whose Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) has splintered after years of internal feuding and a court ruling that bars Morales from running again. The vote comes against the backdrop of the country’s worst economic downturn since the 1980s. Annual inflation climbed to 24.8 % in July, and chronic shortages of fuel and US dollars have produced long queues at filling stations and widened the gap between official and parallel exchange rates. Two right-leaning opposition figures top every recent survey. An Ipsos-Ciesmori poll published this week puts businessman Samuel Doria Medina at 21.2 % and former president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga at 20 %, well ahead of left-wing contenders Eduardo Del Castillo and Senate President Andrónico Rodríguez. If no candidate secures at least 40 % of valid ballots and a 10-point lead, a run-off is scheduled for 19 October. Arce has overhauled the military high command and ordered the deployment of 25,000 police officers, saying the measures will guarantee a calm vote and a “peaceful, democratic transition.” Domestic and international observers are expected to monitor an election widely viewed as a potential end to 20 years of socialist-led government. The economic crunch has forced the central bank to buy gold mined in the Amazon and elsewhere, paying in local currency and swapping more than US$3 billion of bullion abroad to obtain dollars for debt service and fuel imports. Critics warn the emergency strategy underscores the fragility the next administration will inherit.