Bolivia Government

What is the capital of Bolivia?

Country Name Bolivia
Full Country Name Plurinational State of Bolivia
Local - Long Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia
Local - Short Bolivia
Etymology- history of name The country is named after Simon BOLIVAR, a 19th-century leader in the South American wars for independence
Government Type Presidential Republic
Capital Name La Paz (administrative capital); Sucre (constitutional [legislative and judicial] capital)
Capital - geographic coordinate 16 30 S, 68 09 W
Capital Time Difference UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence 6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National Holiday Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution Many previous; latest drafted 6 August 2006 - 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009; amended 2013; note - in late 2017, the Constitutional Court changed the presidential two consecutive term limit to no term limits

Bolivia Capital City Map

Use mouse to move or zoom in.

Bolivia Government and Politics

Who is the president of Bolivia?

Executive Branch: Chief of State: Interim President Jeanine ANEZ Chavez (since 12 November 2019); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Note: former President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma resigned from office on 10 November 2019 over alleged election rigging; resignations of all his constitutionally designated successors followed, including the Vice President, President of the Senate, President of the Chamber of Deputies, and First Vice President of the Senate, leaving the Second Vice President of the Senate, Jeanine ANEZ Chavez, the highest-ranking official still in office; her appointment to the presidency was endorsed by Bolivia's Constitutional Court

Head of Government: Interim President Jeanine ANEZ Chavez (since 12 November 2019); Vice President (vacant)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

Elections/Appointments: president and vice president are directly elected on the same ballot in one of 3 ways: the candidate wins at least 50% of the vote, or at least 40% of the vote and 10% more than the next highest candidate; otherwise a second round is held and the winner determined by simple majority vote; president and vice president are elected by majority vote to serve a 5-year term; no term limits (changed from two consecutive term limit by Constitutional Court in late 2017); election last held on 20 October 2019 (next to be held on 3 May 2020); note - on 10 November 2019, as a result of an Organization of American States report citing manipulations of the voting system, President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma announced that the October election results would be annulled and called for fresh elections; MORALES resigned from his position later that day

Election Results:

Results from the 12 October 2014 election: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president; percent of the vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (MAS) 61%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana (UN) 24.5%; Jorge QUIROGA Ramirez (POC) 9.1%; other 5.4%

Results from the annulled 20 October 2019 election: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president; percent of the vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (MAS) 47.1%; Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (CC) 36.5%; CHI Hyun Chung (PDC) 8.8%; Oscar ORTIZ Antelo (MDS) 4.2%, other 3.4%; note - MORALES was reelected without runoff because his margin over the runner-up was more than 10%

Note: weeks of protest in La Paz and other cities over allegations of fraud following the October 2019 general election, an announcement by the Organization of American States that the election was manipulated, and pressure from the Bolivian military all culminated in the annulment of the election and the resignation of President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma on 10 November 2019; Interim President Jeanine ANEZ Chavez has pledged to hold new elections as soon as possible
Citizenship Criteria: Citizenship by Birth: yes

Citizenship by Descent: yes

Dual Citizenship Recognized: yes

Residency Requirement for Naturalization: 3 years
Legal System: Civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Legislative Branch: Description: bicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of:

Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 53 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote, and 7 - apportioned to non-contiguous, rural areas in 7 of the 9 states - directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)

Elections:

Chamber of Senators - last held on 20 October 2019 (next to be held in 2020 with new presidential elections)

Chamber of Deputies - last held on 20 October 2019 (next to be held in 2020 with new presidential elections)

Election Results:

Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 21, ACC 14, MDS 1

Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 67, ACC 50, PDC 9, MDS 4
Judicial Branch: Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (consists of 12 judges or ministros organized into civil, penal, social, and administrative chambers); Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (consists of 7 primary and 7 alternate magistrates); Plurinational Electoral Organ (consists of 7 members and 6 alternates); National Agro-Environment Court (consists of 5 primary and 5 alternate judges; Council of the Judiciary (consists of 3 primary and 3 alternate judges)

Judge Selection and Term of Office: Supreme Court, Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal, National Agro-Environmental Court, and Council of the Judiciary candidates pre-selected by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and elected by direct popular vote; judges elected for 6-year terms; Plurinational Electoral Organ judges appointed - 6 by the Legislative Assembly and 1 by the president of the republic; members serve single 6-year terms

Subordinate Courts: National Electoral Court; District Courts (in each of the 9 administrative departments); Agro-Environmental lower courts
Regions or States: 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Political Parties and Leaders: Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]

Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]

National Unity or UN [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]
International Law Organization Participation: Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation: CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US: Chief of Mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Rafael Pablo CANEDO Daroca (since July 2017)

Chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Telephone: [1] (202) 328-4155

FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712

Consulate(s) General: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington, DC

Note: in September 2008, the US expelled the Bolivian ambassador to the US in reciprocity for Bolivia expelling the US ambassador to Bolivia
Diplomatic Representation from US: Chief of Mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Bruce WILLIAMSON (since December 2017)

Embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz

Mailing Address: 3220 La Paz Place, Dulles, VA, 20189-3220

Telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000

FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111

Note: in September 2008, the Bolivian Government expelled the US Ambassador to Bolivia, Philip GOLDBERG, and both countries have yet to reinstate their ambassadors
All Countries
Afghanistan Akrotiri Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dhekelia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia, The Gaza Strip Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Jan Mayen Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sudan, South Suriname Svalbard Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wake Island Wallis and Futuna West Bank Western Sahara World Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe