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Bolivia Index
Executive power resides in the president of the
republic and his
ministers of state. The ministers of state conduct the
day-to-day
business of public administration. In 1989 the Council of
Ministers included sixteen ministries
(see
fig. 11). In
addition
to the Council of Ministers, the president headed the
National
Economic and Planning Council (Consejo Nacional de
Economía y
Planificación--Coneplan), the National Council for
Political and
Social Affairs (Consejo Nacional Político y
Social--Conapol), and
the National Security Council (Consejo Nacional de
Seguridad--
Conase).
The president and vice president are chosen through
direct
elections to a four-year term. To win an election, a
candidate
must secure a majority of the popular vote. If a majority
is not
achieved, Congress selects the next president from among
the top
three candidates. This reliance on Congress, rather than
on a
second round of elections, has contributed greatly to the
instability of democratically elected executives. Because
of a
recurring executive-legislative split, elections produced
governments that had only formal power. Until 1985 real
power, or
the effective capacity to rule, had eluded democratically
elected
presidents.
Under the Constitution, reelection of the incumbent is
not
permitted; however, after four years the previous
president may
again run for office. Similarly, an incumbent vice
president may
not run for president until four years after the end of
his term.
In 1985, however, a pact between the major political
parties
allowed Vice President Jaime Paz Zamora to run for the
presidency.
To become president, a person must be at least
thirty-five years
of age, literate, a registered voter, and the nominee of a
political party. Members of the armed forces on active
duty,
Roman Catholic clergy, and ministers of other religions
may not
run for office. Blood relatives and relatives to the
second
degree by affinity of the incumbent president and vice
president
are ineligible to run for the presidency. Incumbent
ministers of
state who seek the executive office must resign at least
six
months before election day.
By tradition and constitutional law, the president is a
strong
executive. Conducting foreign relations, making economic
policy,
enforcing and regulating laws, negotiating treaties and
ratifying
them after prior approval by Congress, appointing
officials,
commanding the armed forces, and preserving and defending
the
public order are all prerogatives guaranteed the chief
executive
under the Constitution of 1967. In emergency situations,
such as
internal turmoil or international war, the president has
the
power to call a state of siege.
The power of appointment enables the president to
exercise
control over the large number of public servants at all
levels of
government. The president appoints the ministers of state,
members of the bureaucracy, and prefectos (prefects) of
departamentos (departments). From lists submitted by the
Senate,
the president appoints the comptroller general, the
attorney
general, the national superintendent of banks, and the
heads of
state enterprises. As captain general of the armed forces,
the
president has the power to appoint the commander in chief
of the
armed forces and the commanders of the navy, army, air
force, and
public safety.
The executive branch also included a number of
decentralized
institutions and autonomous enterprises, such as the
Social
Security Institute (Colegio Nacional de Seguridad
Social--CNSS),
the Mining Corporation of Bolivia (Corporación Minera de
Bolivia
-- Comibol), the Bolivian State Petroleum Enterprise
(Yacimientos
Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos--YPFB), the National
Railroad
Enterprise (Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles--Enfe), and
the
National Telecommunications Enterprise (Empresa Nacional
de
Telecomunicaciones--Entel). The state also owned and
operated
Lloyd Bolivian Airline (Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano--LAB; see
Transportation, ch. 3).
One of the largest state enterprises, the Bolivian
Development
Corporation (Corporación Boliviana de Fomento--CBF),
grouped a
number of smaller industries ranging from dairy products
to
matches. As a result of a decentralization program,
control over
the CBF was passed on to regional development corporations
in
1985. These were in turn given the task of selling
enterprises to
the private sector
(see Growth and Structure of the Economy
, ch.
3).
The dependent nature of Bolivia's middle class and the
lack of
a
broad economic base often resulted in state bureaucracies'
being
used for political gain. Because of the small size of
private
industry, the middle class coveted positions in the state
bureaucracy. As a result, competition for a limited number
of
bureaucratic positions frequently engendered political
conflict.
Government remained a prized commodity struggled over by
factions
made up of leaders drawn from the elite and ambitious
personal
followers drawn from the middle class.
By the mid-1980s, the state had become a large but
extremely
weak apparatus. Approximately 220,000 public employees
bloated
the bureaucracy, and the prevalence of patronage prevented
the
dismissal of inefficient employees. This huge payroll
seriously
inflated the public deficit.
Reforms undertaken since 1985 under the guise of the
New
Economic Policy (Nueva Política Económica--NPE) reduced
the size
of the state sector by privatizing or decentralizing state
enterprises. To reduce public spending, 20,000 miners from
Comibol were laid off
(see Structure of the Mining Industry
, ch.
3). Through the restructuring of state enterprises, the
government also fired employees in YPFB and other
bureaucracies.
Critics of the reforms noted, however, that workers were
dismissed instead of the government officials whose
salaries were
responsible for most of the increases in public spending.
In 1989 the Integrated System of Financial
Administration and
Governmental Control (Sistema Integrado de Administración
Financiera y Control Gubernamentales--Safco), a program
funded by
the United States Agency for International Development
(AID) and the
World Bank (see Glossary),
was introduced to monitor
hiring
and firing practices and to reduce corruption in the
public
sector. The program's central objective was to make
government
bureaucracies efficient administrative entities. Reforms
undertaken by Safco also sought to reduce the number of
ministries in order to make the state apparatus leaner and
more
manageable.
In early 1989, President Paz Estenssoro commanded a
cabinet
divided equally between politicians and technocrats. Old
members
of the MNR shared responsibilities with managers drawn
from the
private sector. Paz Estenssoro's cabinet was credited with
enforcing the rigid austerity aims of the NPE. With the
economy
creeping toward reactivation, the attempt to reduce the
size of
the public sector appeared to have succeeded.
Data as of December 1989
Figure 11. Governmental System, 1989
The Executive
Executive power resides in the president of the
republic and his
ministers of state. The ministers of state conduct the
day-to-day
business of public administration. In 1989 the Council of
Ministers included sixteen ministries
(see
fig. 11). In
addition
to the Council of Ministers, the president headed the
National
Economic and Planning Council (Consejo Nacional de
Economía y
Planificación--Coneplan), the National Council for
Political and
Social Affairs (Consejo Nacional Político y
Social--Conapol), and
the National Security Council (Consejo Nacional de
Seguridad--
Conase).
The president and vice president are chosen through
direct
elections to a four-year term. To win an election, a
candidate
must secure a majority of the popular vote. If a majority
is not
achieved, Congress selects the next president from among
the top
three candidates. This reliance on Congress, rather than
on a
second round of elections, has contributed greatly to the
instability of democratically elected executives. Because
of a
recurring executive-legislative split, elections produced
governments that had only formal power. Until 1985 real
power, or
the effective capacity to rule, had eluded democratically
elected
presidents.
Under the Constitution, reelection of the incumbent is
not
permitted; however, after four years the previous
president may
again run for office. Similarly, an incumbent vice
president may
not run for president until four years after the end of
his term.
In 1985, however, a pact between the major political
parties
allowed Vice President Jaime Paz Zamora to run for the
presidency.
To become president, a person must be at least
thirty-five years
of age, literate, a registered voter, and the nominee of a
political party. Members of the armed forces on active
duty,
Roman Catholic clergy, and ministers of other religions
may not
run for office. Blood relatives and relatives to the
second
degree by affinity of the incumbent president and vice
president
are ineligible to run for the presidency. Incumbent
ministers of
state who seek the executive office must resign at least
six
months before election day.
By tradition and constitutional law, the president is a
strong
executive. Conducting foreign relations, making economic
policy,
enforcing and regulating laws, negotiating treaties and
ratifying
them after prior approval by Congress, appointing
officials,
commanding the armed forces, and preserving and defending
the
public order are all prerogatives guaranteed the chief
executive
under the Constitution of 1967. In emergency situations,
such as
internal turmoil or international war, the president has
the
power to call a state of siege.
The power of appointment enables the president to
exercise
control over the large number of public servants at all
levels of
government. The president appoints the ministers of state,
members of the bureaucracy, and prefectos (prefects) of
departamentos (departments). From lists submitted by the
Senate,
the president appoints the comptroller general, the
attorney
general, the national superintendent of banks, and the
heads of
state enterprises. As captain general of the armed forces,
the
president has the power to appoint the commander in chief
of the
armed forces and the commanders of the navy, army, air
force, and
public safety.
The executive branch also included a number of
decentralized
institutions and autonomous enterprises, such as the
Social
Security Institute (Colegio Nacional de Seguridad
Social--CNSS),
the Mining Corporation of Bolivia (Corporación Minera de
Bolivia
-- Comibol), the Bolivian State Petroleum Enterprise
(Yacimientos
Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos--YPFB), the National
Railroad
Enterprise (Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles--Enfe), and
the
National Telecommunications Enterprise (Empresa Nacional
de
Telecomunicaciones--Entel). The state also owned and
operated
Lloyd Bolivian Airline (Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano--LAB; see
Transportation, ch. 3).
One of the largest state enterprises, the Bolivian
Development
Corporation (Corporación Boliviana de Fomento--CBF),
grouped a
number of smaller industries ranging from dairy products
to
matches. As a result of a decentralization program,
control over
the CBF was passed on to regional development corporations
in
1985. These were in turn given the task of selling
enterprises to
the private sector
(see Growth and Structure of the Economy
, ch.
3).
The dependent nature of Bolivia's middle class and the
lack of
a
broad economic base often resulted in state bureaucracies'
being
used for political gain. Because of the small size of
private
industry, the middle class coveted positions in the state
bureaucracy. As a result, competition for a limited number
of
bureaucratic positions frequently engendered political
conflict.
Government remained a prized commodity struggled over by
factions
made up of leaders drawn from the elite and ambitious
personal
followers drawn from the middle class.
By the mid-1980s, the state had become a large but
extremely
weak apparatus. Approximately 220,000 public employees
bloated
the bureaucracy, and the prevalence of patronage prevented
the
dismissal of inefficient employees. This huge payroll
seriously
inflated the public deficit.
Reforms undertaken since 1985 under the guise of the
New
Economic Policy (Nueva Política Económica--NPE) reduced
the size
of the state sector by privatizing or decentralizing state
enterprises. To reduce public spending, 20,000 miners from
Comibol were laid off
(see Structure of the Mining Industry
, ch.
3). Through the restructuring of state enterprises, the
government also fired employees in YPFB and other
bureaucracies.
Critics of the reforms noted, however, that workers were
dismissed instead of the government officials whose
salaries were
responsible for most of the increases in public spending.
In 1989 the Integrated System of Financial
Administration and
Governmental Control (Sistema Integrado de Administración
Financiera y Control Gubernamentales--Safco), a program
funded by
the United States Agency for International Development
(AID) and the
World Bank (see Glossary),
was introduced to monitor
hiring
and firing practices and to reduce corruption in the
public
sector. The program's central objective was to make
government
bureaucracies efficient administrative entities. Reforms
undertaken by Safco also sought to reduce the number of
ministries in order to make the state apparatus leaner and
more
manageable.
In early 1989, President Paz Estenssoro commanded a
cabinet
divided equally between politicians and technocrats. Old
members
of the MNR shared responsibilities with managers drawn
from the
private sector. Paz Estenssoro's cabinet was credited with
enforcing the rigid austerity aims of the NPE. With the
economy
creeping toward reactivation, the attempt to reduce the
size of
the public sector appeared to have succeeded.
Data as of December 1989
- Bolivia-The United States FOREIGN MILITARY ASSISTANCE IN THE 1980s
- Bolivia-Mission and Organization THE ARMED FORCES
- Bolivia-Natural Regions
- Bolivia-Mountains and Altiplano
- Bolivia-Attitudes Toward Antinarcotics Forces
- Bolivia-Altiplano, Yungas, and Valley Indians
- Bolivia-Rural Society SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
- Bolivia-RELIGION
- Bolivia-The Private Sector
- Bolivia-Revolutionary Nationalism: Ovando and Torres
- Bolivia-Informal Sector
- Bolivia-Radical Military Government PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION, 1935-52
- Bolivia-Lowlands
- Bolivia-Struggle for Independence INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN AND THE EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD, 1809-39
- Bolivia-The Rise of New Political Groups
- Bolivia-The Media
- Bolivia-Migration MIGRATION AND URBANIZATION
- Bolivia-Petroleum and Natural Gas
- Bolivia-General Procedures
- Bolivia-The Middle Class
- Bolivia-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Bolivia-Regional Civic Committees
- Bolivia-Whites
- Bolivia-MINING
- Bolivia-Transition to Democracy
- Bolivia -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Bolivia-Electricity
- Bolivia-The "Sexenio," 1946-52
- Bolivia-Civic Action
- Bolivia-Formal Sector LABOR
- Bolivia-The Economy of Upper Peru
- Bolivia-Radical Reforms THE BOLIVIAN NATIONAL REVOLUTION, 1952-64
- Bolivia-The Banzer Regime
- Bolivia-State, Church, and Society
- Bolivia-HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY
- Bolivia-War of the Pacific FROM THE WAR OF THE PACIFIC TO THE CHACO WAR, 1879- 1935
- Bolivia-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Bolivia-Mestizos and Cholos
- Bolivia-Reorganization of the Armed Forces, 1952-66
- Bolivia-Livestock
- Bolivia-The United States
- Bolivia-Other Foreign Military Ties
- Bolivia-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Bolivia-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Bolivia-Fiscal Policy ECONOMIC POLICY
- Bolivia-The Military
- Bolivia-Coca
- Bolivia-Foreword
- Bolivia-Narcoterrorism
- Bolivia-Political Forces and Interest Groups
- Bolivia-Regional Police Structure
- Bolivia-Land Use
- Bolivia-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Bolivia-Construction of Bolivia: Bolívar, Sucre, and Santa Cruz
- Bolivia-BOLIVIA
- Bolivia-The Peasantry
- Bolivia-SOCIETY
- Bolivia-Cash Crops
- Bolivia-Democracy and Economic Stabilization
- Bolivia-Military Justice
- Bolivia-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Bolivia-Narcotics Corruption
- Bolivia-Early History EVOLUTION OF THE MILITARY ROLE IN SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT
- Bolivia-MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION
- Bolivia-Foreign Trade FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS
- Bolivia-The Presidency of Barrientos MILITARY RULE, 1964-82
- Bolivia-Revenues
- Bolivia-The Republican Party and the Great Depression
- Bolivia-POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND ECONOMIC DECLINE, 1839-79
- Bolivia-The 1989 Elections
- Bolivia-AGRICULTURE
- Bolivia-Crops
- Bolivia-Family and Kin
- Bolivia-The Counterinsurgency Decade
- Bolivia-NATIONAL SECURITY:
- Bolivia-The Unfinished Revolution
- Bolivia-Subversive Groups
- Bolivia-Land Reform and Land Policy
- Bolivia-Urbanization
- Bolivia-ETHNIC GROUPS
- Bolivia-Reconstruction and the Rule of the Conservatives
- Bolivia-POPULATION AND REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION
- Bolivia-Communications
- Bolivia-The Criminal Justice System CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Bolivia-PRE-COLUMBIAN CIVILIZATIONS
- Bolivia-Conscription MANPOWER AND TRAINING
- Bolivia-CONSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND
- Bolivia-ECONOMY
- Bolivia-Special Police Forces
- Bolivia-EDUCATION
- Bolivia-Departmental and Local Government
- Bolivia-Farming Technology
- Bolivia-The Penal System
- Bolivia-Recruitment and Training
- Bolivia-The Third World
- Bolivia-Forestry and Fishing
- Bolivia-GEOGRAPHY
- Bolivia-Expenditures
- Bolivia-Acknowledgments
- Bolivia-Military Schools
- Bolivia-Organized Labor
- Bolivia-Air Force
- Bolivia-Foreign Assistance
- Bolivia-Preface
- Bolivia-Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies
- Bolivia-ENERGY
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-Civil Aeronautics
- Bolivia-Land Tenure
- Bolivia-Defense Budget
- Bolivia-Narcotics Trafficking THREATS TO INTERNAL SECURITY
- Bolivia-The Electoral System
- Bolivia-The Legislature
- Bolivia-Conquest and Settlement CONQUEST AND COLONIAL RULE, 1532-1809
- Bolivia-Incidence of Crime
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-The Legacy of the 1952 Revolution POLITICAL DYNAMICS
- Bolivia-Extradition
- Bolivia-The Judiciary
- Bolivia-Tin and Related Metals
- Bolivia-Transportation
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-Army
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-Structure of the Mining Industry
- Bolivia-Other Metals and Minerals
- Bolivia-Balance of Payments
- Bolivia-Banking and Financial Services SERVICES
- Bolivia-The Executive GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-The Soviet Union
- Bolivia-Military Intervention in Politics, 1970-85
- Bolivia-Bilateral and Legislative Antinarcotics Measures
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-Yungas and Other Valleys
- Bolivia-GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
- Bolivia-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Bolivia-The Legacy of the Chaco War
- Bolivia-Neighboring Countries
- Bolivia-The Chaco War
- Bolivia-GEOGRAPHY
- Bolivia-Lowland Indians
- Bolivia-Urban Society
- Bolivia-Navy
- Bolivia-INTRODUCTION
- Bolivia-The Liberal Party and the Rise of Tin
- Bolivia-FOREIGN RELATIONS
- Bolivia
- Bolivia-Debt
- Bolivia-The Upper Class
- Bolivia-Climate
- Bolivia-Impact of Narcotics Trafficking
Background | | Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor, indigenous majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. In December 2009, President MORALES easily won reelection, and his party took control of the legislative branch of the government, which will allow him to continue his process of change.
|
Location | | Central South America, southwest of Brazil
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 1,098,581 sq km land: 1,083,301 sq km water: 15,280 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 17 00 S, 65 00 W
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 6,940 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km
|
Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
|
Climate | | varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m
|
Natural resources | | tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 1,320 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 622.5 cu km (2000)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 1.44 cu km/yr (13%/7%/81%) per capita: 157 cu m/yr (2000)
|
Natural hazards | | flooding in the northeast (March-April)
|
Environment - current issues | | the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
|
Geography - note | | landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru
|
Population | | 9,775,246 (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,767,310/female 1,701,744) 15-64 years: 60% (male 2,877,605/female 2,992,043) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 193,196/female 243,348) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 21.9 years male: 21.3 years female: 22.6 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 1.772% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 25.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 7.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 66% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 44.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 48.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 66.89 years male: 64.2 years female: 69.72 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 3.17 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%
|
Religions(%) | | Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%
|
Languages(%) | | Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
|
Country name | | conventional long form: Plurinational State of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia
|
Government type | | republic; note - the new constitution defines Bolivia as a "Social Unitarian State"
|
Capital | | name: La Paz (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sucre (constitutional capital)
|
Administrative divisions | | 9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
|
Constitution | | 7-Feb-09
|
Legal system | | based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; the 2009 Constitution incorporates indigenous community justice into Bolivia's judicial system
|
Suffrage | | 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2014); note - per the new constitution, presidents can serve for a total of two consecutive terms election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 64%; Manfred REYES VILLA 26%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 6%; Rene JOAQUINO 2%; other 2%
|
Legislative branch | | bicameral Plurinational Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (36 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 76 members are directly elected from their districts [7 or 8 of these are chosen from indigenous districts] and 54 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms). elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 December 2009 (next to be held in 2015) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 26, PPB-CN 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 89, PPB-CN 36, UN 3, AS 2
|
Judicial branch | | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms); District Courts (one in each department); Plurinational Constitutional Court (five primary or titulares and five alternate or suplente magistrates elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to rule on constitutional issues); Plurinational Electoral Organ (seven members elected by the Assembly and the president; one member must be of indigenous origin to six-year terms); Agro-Environmental Court (judges elected by popular vote from list of candidates pre-selected by Assembly for six-year terms; to run on agro-environmental issues); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | Bolivian Workers Central or COR; Federation of Neighborhood Councils of El Alto or FEJUVE; Landless Movement or MST; National Coordinator for Change or CONALCAM; Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations (including Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia or CIDOB and National Council of Ayullus and Markas of Quollasuyu or CONAMAQ); labor unions (including the Central Bolivian Workers' Union or COB and Cooperative Miners Federation or FENCOMIN)
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International organization participation | | CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag description | | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band 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
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Economy - overview | | Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company. In early 2008, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed the current account surplus to 9.4% of GDP and the government's higher tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large deficits. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation remained at double-digit levels in 2008. The decline in commodity prices in late 2008, the lack of foreign investment in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors, and the suspension of trade benefits with the United States will pose challenges for the Bolivian economy in 2009.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $43.38 billion (2008 est.) $40.88 billion (2007 est.) $39.08 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $16.6 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 6.1% (2008 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.) 4.8% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $4,500 (2008 est.) $4,300 (2007 est.) $4,200 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 11.3% industry: 36.9% services: 51.8% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 4.454 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 40% industry: 17% services: 43% (2006 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 7.5% (2008 est.) 7.5% (2007 est.) note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 60% (2006 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 44.1% (2005)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 59.2 (2006) 44.7 (1999)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 18% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $8.039 billion expenditures: $7.5 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 14% (2008 est.) 8.7% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $3.998 billion (31 December 2008) $3.032 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $6.339 billion (31 December 2008) $4.729 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $5.433 billion (31 December 2008) $4.759 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA (31 December 2008) $2.263 billion (31 December 2007) $2.223 billion (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $582.9 million (2005 est.)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 45.2% of GDP (2008 est.) 46.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber
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Industries | | mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 10.6% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $2.015 billion (2008 est.) $1.984 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $6.448 billion (2008 est.) $4.49 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin
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Exports - partners(%) | | Brazil 60.1%, US 8.3%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
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Imports | | $4.641 billion (2008 est.) $3.24 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans
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Imports - partners(%) | | Brazil 26.7%, Argentina 16.3%, US 10.5%, Chile 9.5%, Peru 7.1%, China 4.8% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $7.722 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $5.318 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $5.931 billion (31 December 2008) $5.385 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $5.998 billion (31 December 2008)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $NA
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Exchange rates | | bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 7.253 (2008 est.), 7.8616 (2007), 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | boliviano (BOB)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 690,000 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 4.83 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: privatization begun in 1995; reliability has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density slighly exceeds 50 per 100 persons domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
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Internet country code | | .bo
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Internet users | | 1 million (2008)
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Airports | | 952 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 4,883 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 62,479 km paved: 3,749 km unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)
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Ports and terminals | | Puerto Aguirre (inland port on the Paraguay/Parana waterway at the Bolivia/Brazil border); Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay
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Military branches | | Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano, EB), Bolivian Navy (Fuerza Naval Boliviana, FNB; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-49 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2009)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 2,295,746 females age 16-49: 2,366,828 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,666,697 females age 16-49: 1,906,396 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 108,304 female: 104,882 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.9% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla Suarez/Ilha de Guajara-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Rio Mamore, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in dispute
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 5.495 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 44.4% hydro: 54% nuclear: 0% other: 1.5% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 4.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 51,360 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 60,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 10,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 6,172 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 465 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 14.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 2.41 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 11.79 billion cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 750.4 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.2% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 8,100 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.7% male: 93.1% female: 80.7% (2001 census)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 6.4% of GDP (2003)
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