| On Sunday 19th October, Bolivia held its elections, and Rodrigo Paz has been elected president, marking a major political shift after nearly 2 decades of left wing MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo) government. While still positioned as centre-right, his platform is seen as more moderate and pragmatic compared to some of the other opposition candidates, so hopefully this will bring a bit more political and economic stability. That said, Paz is viewed as being closer to the brazilnut collectors, so we expect they will remain confident and quite firm in their raw material pricing. Interestingly, the main Brazil nuts producing region, Beni, actually voted for the other candidate, Tuto Quiroga. Even with a more stable political outlook, Paz’s party does not have a legislative majority, so passing new laws will require building alliances, meaning any policy shifts are likely to be gradual. |
