Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

Chamber of DeputiesChamber of Senators

Chamber of Deputies

Political system Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
Presidential system
Compare data of this field.
Structure of parliament Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
Bicameral
Compare data of this field.
IPU membership Current membership status
Yes
See historical data for this field. Compare data of this field.

Data on women

empty

Basic information > About parliament

Speaker

Speaker
Jerges Mercado Suárez (Male)
Year of birth
1970
Additional information
Elected on 4 Nov. 2022.
See historical data for this field.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Valeria Vilaseca Chumacero (Female)
Secretary General
Luis Fernando Vía Cavero (Male)

Members

Current number of members, by sex
Men The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
70
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
60
See historical data for this field.
Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
46.15% See historical data for this field.

Age

Average age of all members Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
44.30
See historical data for this field.
Youngest member (years) Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
22
Compare data of this field.
Youngest member
Fernando Llapiz Hoentsch (Male)
Oldest member (years) Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
69
Oldest member
Walter Villagra Romay (Male)
Total number of MPs, 45 years of age or younger
78 See historical data for this field.
Total number of MPs, 46 years of age or older
52 See historical data for this field.
Total per sex
Total of male
70 See historical data for this field.
Total of female
60 See historical data for this field.
Total per age interval
18-20
0 See historical data for this field.
21-30
8 See historical data for this field.
31-40
47 See historical data for this field.
41-45
23 See historical data for this field.
46-50
18 See historical data for this field.
51-60
23 See historical data for this field.
61-70
11 See historical data for this field.
71-80
0 See historical data for this field.
81-90
0 See historical data for this field.
91 and over
0 See historical data for this field.
Number of members, by age
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Totals per age interval 0 8 47 23 18 23 11 0 0 0
Total <= 45: 78 Total >= 46: 52
Male 0 3 22 15 11 12 7 0 0 0 70
Female 0 5 25 8 7 11 4 0 0 0 60
Percentage of members, by age
Age as last election or renewalOverallMaleFemale
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger6.15%2.31%3.85%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger42.31%19.23%23.08%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger60%30.77%29.23%

Reserved seats and quotas

Number of reserved seats, by group
Women
0
Electoral quota for women Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Yes
Compare data of this field.
Notes
Legislated candidate quotas (50% men, 50% women). The Constitution notes that participation in the political process will be equitable and on equal terms between men and women. Both principal and alternate candidate lists in multi-member constituencies for elections to the Lower House (Cámara de Diputados) must include equal numbers of men and women, in alternation. In the case of a list composed of an odd number of candidates, preference will be given to women. In single-member constituencies, at least 50% of the candidates (principal and alternate) nominated in all of the constituencies must be women. &#13;&#13;
Elections > Historical data on women

Women's suffrage

Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1938
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions Suffrage: Restrictions detail
Only literate women and those with a certain level of income
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1952
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1938
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions Stand for Election: Restrictions detail
Women must have an income and be literate in order to stand for election.
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1952
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament Year in which first woman entered parliament
1956
First woman speaker
Year of first woman speaker Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
1979

Specialized body - Women's caucus

Union of Women Parliamentarians of Bolivia (UMPABOL)
(March 1998 - December 2014)
Formal or informal
Formal
The caucus is open to male MPs
No
Notes
Created on 24 March 1998 (Resolution 212/9798) with members including current and former female MPs.

The mandate of the women's caucus has not been renewed since convening of the 2015 legislature.

Activities

Issues dealt with by the caucus
UMPABOL has driven the adoption of laws aimed at greater equality and protection of women, including: the Law on the Right to a Life Free of Violence for Women (2013), the Law Against Political Harassment and Violence Against Women (2012), the Comprehensive Law Against Trafficking in Persons (2012), and the Law Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination (2010).

UMPABOL also promoted the National Framework for Gender Equality which instilled requirements around women's access and participation in politics.

Contact information for the Committee

Address
Marianela Paco, Chairperson
Unión de Mujeres Parlamentarias de Bolivia, Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional, Plaza Murillo
Le Paz
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)