 For the first time, three established parties (MNR, MIR and UCS) formed a coalition in order to compete with the rising dominance of the populist parties.This demonstrated a significant shift in the electoral environment as the axis of competition shifted from intra-elite competition to competition between the traditional parties and outsider parties.The strong nationalist and populist surge was partly a backlash against the pro-globalization and neoliberal reforms enacted by de Lozada during his earlier term as president, as well as his American background and education.