Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form: Bolivia
local short form: Bolivia
local long form: Republica de Bolivia
Government type:
republic
Capital:
La Paz (seat of government); Sucre (legal capital and seat of
judiciary)
Administrative divisions:
9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca,
Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence:
6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994
Legal system:
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of
age, universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17
October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert (since 17
October 2003); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 30 June 2002
(next to be held NA June 2007)
election results: as a result of no candidate winning a majority in
the 30 June 2002 election, Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamante was
chosen president by Congress; Congressional votes - Gonzalo SANCHEZ
DE LOZADA Bustamante 84, Evo MORALES 43; note - following the
resignation of the elected president on 17 October 2003, Vice
President Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert assumed the presidency
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of
Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are
directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and
Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; members are
directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note -
some members are drawn from party lists, thus not directly elected)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held
30 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - MNR 11, MAS 8, MIR 5, NFR 2, other 1; Chamber
of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNR
36, MAS 27, MIR 26, NFR 25, others 16
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms
by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department);
provincial and local courts (to try minor cases)
Political parties and leaders:
Bolivian Socialist Falange or FSB [Romel PANTOJA]; Civic Solidarity
Union or UCS [Johnny FERNANDEZ]; Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz
BARRIOS]; Marshal of Ayacucho Institutional Vanguard or VIMA [Freddy
ZABALA]; Movement of the Revolutionary Left or MIR [Jaime PAZ
Zamora]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Evo MORALES]; Movement
Without Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; Nationalist Democratic
Action or ADN [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez]; Nationalist
Revolutionary Movement or MNR [Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA]; New
Republican Force or NFR [Manfred REYES-VILLA]; Pachakuti Indigenous
Movement or MIP [Felipe QUISPE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jeres
JUSTINIANO]
note: the MNR, MIR, and UCS comprise the ruling coalition
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Cocalero Groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions; Sole
Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB [Felipe
QUISPE]
International organization participation:
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime APARICIO Otero
chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Washington, DC
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David N. GREENLEE
embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, San Jorge, La Paz
mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032
telephone: [591] (2) 2430120, 2430251
FAX: [591] (2) 2433900
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with
the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of
Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the
yellow band