2016 Bolivian constitutional referendum

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2016 Bolivian constitutional referendum
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
21 February 2016
Do you agree with the reform of Article 168 of the Political Constitution of the State so that the president and the vice president of the state can be re-elected twice continuously?
Results
Choice
Votes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes2,546,13548.70%
Light brown x.svg No2,682,51751.30%
Valid votes5,228,65295.22%
Invalid or blank votes262,2674.78%
Total votes5,490,919100.00%
Registered voters/turnout6,502,06984.45%
2016 Bolivian referendum map.svg
Results by region

A constitutional referendum was held in Bolivia on Sunday, 21 February 2016. The proposed constitutional amendments would have allowed the president and vice president to run for a third consecutive term under the 2009 Constitution (which would be a fourth consecutive term, including their pre-2009 term). [1] The proposal was voted down by a 51.3% majority. [2]

Contents

Background

A referendum voter Referendo 2016 Bolivia.jpg
A referendum voter

Article 168 of the 2009 constitution allows the President and Vice-President to put themselves forward for re-election only once, limiting the number of terms to two. The governing party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS) sponsored an effort to amend this article. The referendum was authorized by a combined session of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly on 26 September 2015, by a vote of 112 to 41. [3] [4] Law 757, which convenes the February referendum, was passed 113 to 43, and was promulgated on 5 November 2015. [5]

Bolivian elections are conducted under an "act of good governance," which prohibits electoral propaganda in the days before an election, and tightly regulates motorized transport.[ citation needed ] It was illegal to buy or consume alcohol for 48 hours prior to the referendum to ensure voters took note of their decision. [1]

A successful 'yes' vote would have allowed President Evo Morales and Vice President Álvaro García Linera to run for a fourth term in office in 2019. Morales had already been elected three times. The first time, in 2006, is not counted as it was before the two term limit was introduced by the 2009 constitution. [5]

Disinformation campaigns

In the run-up to the referendum, opponents claimed that Morales had fathered an out-of-wedlock child [6] named "Ernesto Fidel Morales" after Ernesto "Che" Guevera and Fidel Castro. [7] The story was "mostly fake news." [8] There had been a relationship, but never a child, and the woman had borrowed a child from her aunt to present to the press in support of the false allegations. [8] Referendum supporters claim that the allegations hurt Morales in the polls. [9]

Opinion polls

PollsterDate of
publication		YesNoUndecided
IPSOS [10] 26 October 201549%39%11%
Mercados y Muestras [11] 5 December 201540%54%6%
IPSOS [12] 29 December 201545%50%5%
MORI [13] 11 January 201641%37%19%
IPSOS [14] [15] 13 January 201638%44%14%
Captura Consulting [16] 10 February 201644%41%15%
MORI [17] 12 February 201640%40%11%
IPSOS [18] 40%41%15%
Mercados y Muestras [19] 14 February 201628%47%25%

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For2,546,13548.70
Against2,682,51751.30
Total5,228,652100.00
Valid votes5,228,65295.22
Invalid/blank votes262,2674.78
Total votes5,490,919100.00
Registered voters/turnout6,502,06984.45
Source: OEP

Aftermath

In September 2017 the Movement for Socialism applied to the Plurinational Constitutional Court to abolish term limits. In November the court ruled in favour of their abolition, citing the American Convention on Human Rights. [20] The ruling allowed Morales to run for re-election in the 2019 elections. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Bolivia</span> Political system of the Plurinational State of Bolivia

The politics of Bolivia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state, head of government and head of a diverse multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament. Both the Judiciary and the electoral branch are independent of the executive and the legislature. After the 2014 Bolivian general election, 53.1% of the seats in national parliament were held by women, a higher proportion of women than that of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Bolivia</span> Head of state and government of Bolivia

The president of Bolivia, officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the captain general of the Armed Forces of Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evo Morales</span> President of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019

Juan Evo Morales Ayma is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to come from its indigenous population, his administration worked towards the implementation of left-wing policies, focusing on the legal protections and socioeconomic conditions of Bolivia's previously marginalized indigenous population and combating the political influence of the United States and resource-extracting multinational corporations. Ideologically a socialist, he has led the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party since 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Choquehuanca</span> Vice president of Bolivia since 2020

David Choquehuanca Céspedes is a Bolivian diplomat, peasant leader, politician, and trade unionist serving as the 39th vice president of Bolivia since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism, he previously served as minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2017 and as secretary general of ALBA from 2017 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Bolivian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Bolivia on 25 January 2009, postponed from the initially planned dates of 4 May 2008 and then 7 December 2008. Drafted by the Constituent Assembly in 2007, the new constitution was approved in the referendum according to an exit poll by Ipsos Apoyo for La Razón and ATB, a Bolivian television network. Furthermore, it required early elections to be held on 6 December 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Salguero</span> Bolivian Minister of Cultures (2011–2012)

Elizabeth Cristina Salguero Carrillo is a Bolivian diplomat, journalist, politician, and women's rights activist who served as minister of cultures from 2011 to 2012. A member of the Movement for Socialism, she previously served as a party-list member of the Chamber of Deputies from La Paz from 2006 to 2009. In 2009, she was elected as a substitute party-list member of the Chamber of Deputies from La Paz but resigned before taking office in order to launch an ultimately unsuccessful La Paz mayoral campaign. From 2012 to 2015, she served as ambassador of Bolivia to Germany, and since then has worked as an international expert in strategic planning at UN Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization</span> Bolivian government ministry responsible

The Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization, and Depatriarchalization is the ministry of the government of Bolivia that provides for the preservation and protection of the cultures and artistic expressions of the indigenous peoples of Bolivia as well as promotes the country's tourism sector and process of decolonization and depatriarchalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Arce</span> President of Bolivia since 2020

Luis Alberto Arce Catacora, often referred to as Lucho, is a Bolivian banker, economist, and politician serving as the 67th president of Bolivia since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism, he previously served as minister of finance—later minister of economy and public finance—from 2006 to 2017, and in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bolivian general election</span> General election in Bolivia

General elections were held in Bolivia on 12 October 2014, the second to take place under the country's 2009 constitution, and the first supervised by the Plurinational Electoral Organ, a newly created fourth branch of government. Incumbent President Evo Morales was re-elected for a third term.

Events in the year 2016 in Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bolivian general election</span>

General elections were held in Bolivia on 20 October 2019. Voters elected all 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 36 senators and cast ballots for a joint slate of president and vice president. The Bolivian constitution allows the President and Vice-President to put themselves forward for re-election only once, limiting the number of terms to two, and the elections took place after in 2016 a referendum to amend the constitution was rejected, but that the Supreme Court of Justice ruled that all public offices would have no term limits despite what was established in the constitution and allowing Morales to run for a fourth term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bolivian protests</span> Protests against electoral fraud allegations in the 2019 Bolivian elections

The 2019 Bolivian protests, also known as the Pitita Revolution, were protests and marches from 21 October 2019 until late November of that year in Bolivia, in response to claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election of 20 October. After 11 November 2019, there were protests by supporters of the outgoing government in response to Jeanine Áñez becoming the acting president of Bolivia. The claims of fraud were made after the suspension of the preliminary vote count, in which incumbent Evo Morales was not leading by a large enough margin (10%) to avoid a runoff, and the subsequent publication of the official count, in which Morales won by just over 10%. Some international observers expressed concern over the integrity of the elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bolivian political crisis</span> Series of resignations by Bolivias highest political leaders following disputed election results

A political crisis occurred in Bolivia on 10 November 2019, after 21 days of civil protests following the disputed 2019 Bolivian general election in which incumbent President Evo Morales was initially declared the winner. The elections took place after a referendum to amend the Bolivian constitution, which limits the number of terms to two, was rejected in 2016. In 2017 under political pressure and a legal demand from the Morales government, the Constitutional Tribunal (TCP) ruled that all public offices would have no term limits despite what was established in the constitution and allowing Evo Morales to run for a fourth term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanine Áñez</span> President of Bolivia from 2019 to 2020

Jeanine Áñez Chávez is a Bolivian lawyer, politician, and television presenter who served as the 66th president of Bolivia from 2019 to 2020. A former member of the Social Democratic Movement, she previously served two terms as senator for Beni from 2015 to 2019 on behalf of the Democratic Unity coalition and from 2010 to 2014 on behalf of the National Convergence alliance. During this time, she served as second vice president of the Senate from 2015 to 2016 and in 2019 and, briefly, was president of the Senate, also in 2019. Before that, she served as a uninominal member of the Constituent Assembly from Beni, representing circumscription 61 from 2006 to 2007 on behalf of the Social Democratic Power alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Bolivian general election</span> Bolivian general election

General elections were held in Bolivia on 18 October 2020 for President, Vice-President, and all seats in both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Luis Arce of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party was elected president in a landslide, winning 55% of the vote and securing majorities in both chambers of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. The results of the election superseded the disputed results of the October 2019 elections, which were annulled during a prolonged political crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Fernando Camacho</span> Bolivian politician (born 1979)

Luis Fernando Camacho Vaca is a Bolivian activist, businessman, lawyer, and politician serving as the 2nd governor of Santa Cruz since 2021. He is the leader of Creemos, opposition bench in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and was the chair of the Santa Cruz Civic Committee in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrónico Rodríguez</span> Bolivian politician (born 1988)

Andrónico Rodríguez Ledezma is a Bolivian cocalero activist, political scientist, politician, and trade unionist serving as president of the Senate since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism, he serves as senator for Cochabamba. Rodríguez's lengthy career in the cocalero union hierarchy saw him serve as general secretary of the 21 September Workers' Center from 2015 to 2016 and as executive of the Mamoré Bulo Bulo Federation from 2016 to 2018, in addition to a multitude of other minor positions. He has served as vice president of the Coordination Committee of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba since 2018 and held office as president of the organization from 2019 to 2020 in the absence of the body's longtime leader, Evo Morales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Ortiz (Bolivian politician)</span> Bolivian politician (born 1969)

Oscar Miguel Ortiz Antelo is a Bolivian businessman and politician who served as minister of economy and public finance from July to September 2020 and as minister of productive development from May to July 2020. As a member of the Social Democratic Movement, he previously served two terms as a senator for Santa Cruz from 2015 to 2020 on behalf of the Democratic Unity coalition and from 2006 to 2010 on behalf of the Social Democratic Power alliance. Nearing the end of his second term, Ortiz was his party's presidential candidate, attaining fourth place in the annulled 2019 general elections. During his first term, he served as president of the Senate from 2008 to 2010, the last opposition legislator to preside over the upper chamber as of 2024. Outside of national politics, Ortiz served as president of the Union of Latin American Parties from 2018 to 2021 and has been the rector of the Bolivian Catholic University at Santa Cruz since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerko Núñez</span> Bolivian politician (born 1973)

Yerko Martín Núñez Negrette is a Bolivian agronomist and politician who served as minister of the presidency from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Social Democratic Movement, he previously served as minister of public works from November to December 2019. Throughout his ministerial tenure, Núñez was noted as a key person of influence in the transitional government and a "right-hand" to President Jeanine Áñez, a fellow Beni native. Prior to his appointment, he served as senator from Beni from 2015 to 2019 on behalf of the Democratic Unity coalition. As a member of Beni First, Núñez served as mayor of Rurrenabaque from 2010 to 2014; he previously held the position for two terms from 2000 to 2003 and 2005 to 2010 as part of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement. Núñez's mayoral tenure saw strides made for Rurrenabaque's ecotourism industry, which generated increased economic growth for the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Yujra</span> Bolivian politician (born 1964)

Martha Yujra Apaza is a Bolivian politician and trade unionist who served as minister of cultures and tourism from 2019 to 2020. A prominent trade union leader in El Alto, Yujra was the only indigenous member of the Jeanine Áñez Cabinet and was the final official to head the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism; the institution was abolished during her term. During her tenure, Yujra's office primarily dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector, devising means of alleviating the economic ramifications of quarantine measures on artisans and entertainers. She subsequently served as a counselor at the Embassy of Bolivia in Quito from July to November 2020. Prior to serving as minister, Yujra gained notoriety for her fierce opposition to the government of Evo Morales. In 2017, she led a breakaway faction of the pro-government El Alto Regional Workers' Center. As its executive secretary, Yujra aligned the union with the Bolivia Says No alliance, running unsuccessfully to represent La Paz in the Chamber of Deputies in the annulled 2019 general elections.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bolivia's Re-election Referendum: The case for Yes and No". Latin Correspondent. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Dan Collyns; Jonathan Watts. "Bolivian referendum goes against Evo Morales as voters reject fourth term". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  3. ↑ La ALP sancionó la Ley de Reforma parcial de la CPE Archived 2015-12-26 at the Wayback Machine Vice President of Bolivia
  4. ↑ Bolivia passes law to allow Morales to run for fourth term Reuters, 25 September 2015
  5. 1 2 Consulta para habilitar a Evo está en marcha; El MAS ‘se juega la vida’ Archived 2019-10-18 at the Wayback Machine La Razón, 6 November 2015
  6. ↑ "Bolivian leader Morales' estranged son 'does not exist'". BBC News. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  7. ↑ Gustafson, Bret Darin (2020). Bolivia in the age of gas. Durham: Duke University Press. pp. 224–225. ISBN   978-1-4780-1252-8. OCLC   1159629686.
  8. 1 2 Gustafson, Bret Darin (2020). Bolivia in the age of gas. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 225. ISBN   978-1-4780-1252-8. OCLC   1159629686.
  9. ↑ "Bolivian leader Morales' estranged son 'does not exist' - BBC News". 2022-07-18. Archived from the original on 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  10. ↑ "El Sí ganará el referendo según encuestas de Ipsos". El Deber. 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "54% rechaza la reforma de la CPE para otra reelección de Evo". Los Tiempos. 5 December 2015. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "50% rechaza reforma que viabiliza la reelección, según encuesta". El Deber. 29 December 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Encuesta para EL DEBER da ventaja ajustada al 'Sí'". El Deber. 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  14. ↑ "Encuesta Ipsos: El No a la reforma a la Constitución gana al Sí con 44% frente al 38%". La Razón. 15 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Bolivia: Morales promete aceptar sin reclamos si gana el "No" en febrero". DW. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "Encuesta revela que 44,4% apoya el Sí a la repostulación del presidente Evo Morales en el eje central del país". ABI - Agencia Boliviana de Información. 11 February 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "Encuesta de Mori dice que el No creció y que empata al Sí". El Deber. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  18. ↑ "El No obtiene mínima ventaja sobre el Sí en el referéndum según encuesta de Ipsos". La Razón. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "Intención de voto: El Sí cae a 28% y el No sube a 47%". Los Tiempos. 14 February 2016. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  20. ↑ Bolivian court clears way for Morales to run for fourth term Reuters, 28 November 2017
  21. ↑ Blair, Laurence (3 December 2017). "Evo for ever? Bolivia scraps term limits as critics blast 'coup' to keep Morales in power". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 January 2018.
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