Bolivia - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Bolivia, it was the country is named after Simón BOLÍVAR, a 19th-century leader in the South American wars for independence. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
National symbols
Llama, Andean condor, two national flowers: the cantuta and the patuju; national colors: red, yellow, green.
The flag
The National flag of Bolivia has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; red stands for bravery and the blood of national heroes, yellow for the nation's mineral resources, and green for the fertility of the land.
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note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; in 2009, a presidential decree made it mandatory for a so-called wiphala - a square, multi-colored flag representing the country's indigenous peoples - to be used alongside the traditional flag
The National Anthem
| Title | "Cancion Patriotica" (Patriotic Song) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Jose Ignacio de SANJINES/Leopoldo Benedetto VINCENTI |
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note: adopted 1852
More about the government of Bolivia
| Date of Independence | 6 August 1825 (from Spain) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Independence Day, 6 August (1825) |
| Legal system | civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and indigenous law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Many previous; latest drafted 6 August 2006 to 9 December 2008, approved by referendum 25 January 2009, effective 7 February 2009 |
| Amendments | Proposed through public petition by at least 20% of voters or by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership of the Assembly and approval in a referendum; amended 2013 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | yes |
| Citizenship by descent only | yes |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 3 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora (since 8 November 2020) |
| Head of government | President Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora (since 8 November 2020) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot one of 3 ways: 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 18 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025) |
| Election results | 2020: Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora elected president; percent of vote - Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora (MAS) 55.1%; Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (CC) 28.8%; Luis Fernando CAMACHO Vaca (Creemos) 14%; other 2.1% 2019: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (MAS) 61%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana (UN) 24.5%; Jorge QUIROGA Ramirez (POC) 9.1%; other 5.4%; note - MORALES 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, and she served as interim president until the 8 November 2020 inauguration of Luis Alberto ARCE Catacora, who won the 18 October 2020 presidential election |
| 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 party-list 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 closed party-list 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 18 October 2020 (next to be held in 2025) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 18 October 2020 (next to be held in 2025) |
| Election results | Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 21, ACC 11, Creemos 4; composition - men 16, women 20, percentage women 55.6% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 75, ACC 39, Creemos 16; composition - men 70, women 60, percentage women 46.2%; total Plurinational Legislative Assembly percentage women - 48.2% |
| 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Henry BALDELOMAR CHÁVEZ (since 11 October 2023) |
| Chancery | 3014 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 483-4410 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 328-3712 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.boliviawdc.org/en-us/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Debra HEVIA (since September 2023) |
| Embassy | Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz |
| Mailing address | 3220 La Paz Place, Washington DC 20512-3220 |
| Telephone | [591] (2) 216-8000 |
| FAX | [591] (2) 216-8111 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://bo.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 7 (6 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | City of Potosi (c); El Fuerte de Samaipata (c); Historic Sucre (c); Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos (c); Noel Kempff Mercado National Park (n); Tiahuanacu (c); Qhapaq Ñan/Andean Road System (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Bolivia
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Bolivia
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