Bolivia: Government
The World Factbook 1993: Bolivia Government Names: conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia

Digraph: BL

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)

Constitution: 2 February 1967

Legal system: based on Spanish law and Code Napoleon; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Political parties and leaders: Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora; Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Hugo BANZER Suarez; Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada; Civic Solidarity Union (UCS), Max FERNANDEZ Rojas; Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jorge AGREDO; Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), Antonio ARANIBAR; United Left (IU), a coalition of leftist parties that includes Patriotic National Convergency Axis (EJE-P), Walter DELGADILLO and Bolivian Communist Party (PCB), Humberto RAMIREZ; Revolutionary Vanguard - 9th of April (VR-9), Carlos SERRATE Reich

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (married) 21 years of age; universal and compulsory (single)

Elections:

Chamber of Deputies: last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held 6 June 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; note - legislative and presidential candidates run on a unified slate, so vote percentages are the same as in section on presidential election results; seats - (130 total) MNR 40, ADN 35, MIR 33, IU 10, CONDEPA 9, PDC 3

Chamber of Senators: last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held 6 June 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; note - legislative and presidential candidates run on a unified slate, so vote percentages are the same as in section on presidential election results; seats - (27 total) MNR 9, ADN 7, MIR 8, CONDEPA 2, PDC 1

President: last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held 6 June 1993); results - Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada (MNR) 23%, Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN) 22%, Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) 19%; no candidate received a majority of the popular vote; Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) formed a coalition with Hugo BANZER (ADN); with ADN support, PAZ Zamora won the congressional runoff election on 4 August and was inaugurated on 6 August 1989

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Jaime PAZ Zamora (since 6 August 1989); Vice President Luis OSSIO Sanjines (since 6 August 1989)

Member of: AG, ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jorge CRESPO chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 483-4410 through 4412 consulates general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles R. BOWERS embassy: Banco Popular del Peru Building, corner of Calles Mercado y Colon, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz, or APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] (2) 350251 or 350120 FAX: [591] (2) 359875

Flag: 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