Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator who was never a nationally prominent figure until now, won Bolivia's presidential election on Sunday, preliminary results showed, galvanising voters outraged by the country's economic crisis and frustrated with 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party.

"The trend is irreversible," said Óscar Hassenteufel, the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal that released the early results showing that Paz, 58, secured more than 54 per cent of the vote. His rival, former right-wing President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, won just over 45 per cent of the vote.

Paz and his popular running mate, ex-police Capt Edman Lara, gained traction among working-class and rural voters disillusioned with the unbridled spending of the long-ruling Movement Toward Socialis

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