GOVERNMENT
The 1967 constitution, revised in 1994, provides for balanced executive, legislative, and judicial powers. The traditionally strong executive, however, tends to overshadow the Congress, whose role is generally limited to debating and approving legislation initiated by the executive. The judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court and departmental and lower courts, has long been plagued by corruption and inefficiency. Through revisions to the constitution in 1994, and subsequent laws, the government has initiated potentially far-reaching reforms in the judicial system.
For the first time in history, Bolivians chose their departmental prefects (similar to governors) by popular vote on December 18, 2005. Bolivia's nine departments received greater autonomy under the administrative decentralization law of 1995, although several departments--especially Santa Cruz and Tarija--are seeking increased autonomy. In a July 2006 referendum, Bolivia's four eastern departments voted in favor of increasing regional autonomy, and the other five provinces opposed the measure. The autonomy movement rallied around Sucre's August 2007 demand that the constituent assembly consider moving all branches of government to the traditional capital. Civic committees in six departments (Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni, Pando, Cochabamba, and Chuquisaca) supported hunger strikes and protests in Sucre, which led to Bolivian Government-sponsored talks between Sucre and La Paz leaders, which were inconclusive as of March 2008. The Santa Cruz government approved an autonomy statute in December 2007; the governments of the other eastern departments followed Santa Cruz's lead. Santa Cruz held a popular referendum on its autonomy statute on May 4, 2008, in which the majority of voters voted for autonomy. The Bolivian Government considered this referendum to be illegal and does not recognize its results. Some government-aligned parliamentarians have advocated popular elections for the civic committees, which they claim disproportionately represent elite and opposition interests.
Bolivian cities and towns are governed by directly elected mayors and councils. Municipal elections were held in December 2004, with councils elected to 5-year terms. The popular participation law of April 1994, which requires a 20% allocation of national revenues to municipalities for discretionary use, has enabled previously neglected communities to make improvements in their facilities and services.
Current Administration
On December 18, 2005, MAS candidate Evo Morales Ayma was elected to the presidency by 54% of the voters. During his campaign, Morales, a coca union leader of indigenous descent, vowed to nationalize hydrocarbons and alleviate poverty and discrimination towards indigenous persons. Morales was and remains highly critical of the "neo-liberal" economic policies that have been implemented in Bolivia over the past several decades. On January 22, 2006, Morales and his Vice President Alvaro García Linera were inaugurated into office.
Since then, President Morales has moved to fulfill his campaign promises, promoting policies to decriminalize coca cultivation, including raising the ceiling for licit coca cultivation from 12,000 hectares to 20,000 hectares. On May 1, 2006 the government issued a decree "nationalizing" the hydrocarbons sector and calling for the renegotiation of contracts with hydrocarbons companies. In November 2006 the government and companies signed new contracts that should result in higher revenues for the government; however, errors in the contracts may require further negotiations. These policies have pleased Morales' supporters, but have complicated Bolivia's relations with some of its neighboring countries, foreign investors, and members of the international community.
Fulfilling another campaign promise, Morales secured passage of legislation
convoking a special election for delegates to a constituent assembly to draft a
new constitution. The MAS performed well in those elections, capturing 137 of
255 seats. The assembly convened on August 6, 2006, and planned to complete its
work by August 2007; however, the Congress extended its mandate to December 14,
2007 after the constituent assembly faced political deadlock over its voting
rules. Although rules were ostensibly clarified in February 2007, the subject
reemerged in August, after the legality of a vote on the location of the capital
was contested by the opposition. An agreement could not be reached, and the
opposition delegates walked out of the assembly. The MAS approved a constitution
without the opposition vote in November 2007, in a controversial assembly
session in which opposition delegates were blocked from voting by demonstrators
and the armed forces. On December 14, 2007, Morales presented the constitutional
text to the National Congress to request a referendum for its approval in 2008.
The opposition-controlled Senate prevented the referendum legislation from
moving forward.
Under the administrative decentralization law of 1995, Bolivia’s nine departments had received greater autonomy, and on December 18, 2005, Bolivians elected their departmental prefects (similar to governors) by popular vote for the first time in history. In a July 2006 referendum, Bolivia’s four eastern departments voted in favor of increasing regional autonomy, and the other five provinces opposed the measure. The autonomy movement rallied around Sucre’s August 2007 demand that the constituent assembly consider moving all branches of government back to the traditional capital of Sucre. Civic committees in six departments (Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni, Pando, Cochabamba, and Chuquisaca) supported hunger strikes and protests in Sucre. The strikes led to government-sponsored talks between Sucre and La Paz leaders. The talks were inconclusive. The Santa Cruz government approved an autonomy statute in December 2007; the governments of the other eastern departments followed Santa Cruz’s lead. Santa Cruz held a popular referendum on its autonomy statute on May 4, 2008, in which the majority of voters voted for autonomy. Voters in Beni, Pando, and Tarija also voted for increased autonomy in referenda that followed the Santa Cruz referendum. The Bolivian Government considered these referenda to be illegal and refused to recognize the results.
In May 2008, the Senate endorsed MAS-introduced legislation for a recall referendum on the mandates of the President, Vice President, and eight of nine departmental prefects, held on August 10, 2008. President Morales was ratified with 67% of the vote. Opposition prefects in the so-called “Media Luna” departments of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni, and Pando were also ratified with substantial majorities. Political tensions between the government and the opposition over the new constitution, the autonomy statutes passed in some department legislatures, and the division of tax proceeds from the hydrocarbon industry led to civil unrest, including incidents of violence and sabotage. Shortly thereafter, a conflict between government supporters and opposition members in the northern department of Pando left 13 dead over two days and led to the declaration of martial law. The government accused Pando prefect Leopoldo Fernandez of being responsible for the deaths. Although the constitution grants prefects immunity from prosecution, the government detained him without trial and appointed an interim prefect. Fernandez remained imprisoned without trial as of July 2009.
In late September 2008, the government and opposition prefects began a “national dialogue” in Cochabamba, but talks collapsed with no agreement. The dialogue moved to the Congress, and President Morales called on his social movement supporters to surround the Congress to pressure opposition members of Congress to vote for the government-sponsored approach. On October 21, 2008, the government and congressional opposition reached a compromise scheduling a constitutional referendum in exchange for textual modifications. Voters approved the new constitution on January 25, 2009.
The new constitution calls for elections on December 6, 2009 for president, vice president, and members of the new Plurinational Assembly (formerly called National Congress) and April 2010 for governors and municipal leaders.
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION
A new Bolivian constitution was promulgated February 8, 2009, replacing Bolivia’s 1967 constitution. The 2009 constitution provides for legislative, executive, judicial, and electoral branches of government. It strengthens the executive branch and centralizes political and economic decision-making. It also provides new powers and responsibilities at the departmental, municipal, and regional levels, as well as in newly-created indigenous autonomous areas.
The executive consists of the president, vice president, and the ministers of state. The president and vice president are selected through national elections. The ministers of state are appointed.
The Plurinational Assembly (formerly called National Congress) is composed of two bodies: the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Senators. The Chamber of Deputies has 130 members, and the Chamber of Senators has 36 members (4 from each of the 9 departments). Within the Chamber of Deputies, 70 members will be selected by direct vote, 62 by party list, and eight in special indigenous areas.
The judiciary consists of a Supreme Court, an independent Constitutional Tribunal, and departmental and lower courts. The 2009 constitution reformed the selection of judicial officials, who will now be elected by the Assembly. Under President Morales, a number of judicial bodies including the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal (which is responsible for deciding questions of constitutionality) have been substantially weakened. After lawsuits initiated by the executive branch, a wave of resignations, and an impasse in appointments, the Constitutional Tribunal has none of its 10 members left, effectively leaving Bolivia with no judicial oversight on constitutional questions.
Bolivian cities and towns are governed by directly elected mayors and councils. Municipal elections were held in December 2004, with councils elected to 5-year terms. The popular participation law of April 1994, which requires a 20% allocation of national revenues to municipalities for discretionary use, has enabled previously neglected communities to make improvements in their facilities and services.
Principal
Government Officials
President--Juan Evo MORALES Ayma
Vice President--Alvaro GARCIA Linera
Minister of Foreign Affairs--David CHOQUEHUANCA Céspedes
Charge d’Affaires of the Bolivian Mission to the United States--Erika DUEÑAS
Ambassador to the Organization of American States--José Enrique PINELO Navarro
Chargé d’Affaires to the United Nations--Pablo SOLON Romero
Bolivia maintains an embassy in the United States at 3014 Massachusetts
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-483-4410); consulates
in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New Orleans, and New York;
and honorary consulates in Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston,
Mobile, Seattle, St. Louis, and San Juan.
Type:
Republic.
Independence: August 6, 1825.
Constitution: 1967; revised 1994.
Branches: Executive--president and cabinet.
Legislative--bicameral Congress. Judicial--five levels of jurisdiction,
headed by Supreme Court.
Subdivisions: Nine departments.
Major political parties: Nationalist Revolutionary
Movement (MNR), Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Movement
Towards Socialism (MAS), New Republican Force (NFR).
Suffrage: Universal adult, obligatory.
