Bolivian presidential election, 1989
Encyclopedia
Campaign
In the initial months of 1989, the MNR tried in vain to postpone the election date, arguing that the deadline for electoral registration restricted citizen participation. In December 1988, the party's delegation in Congress had managed to amend the electoral law of 1986. Arguing that the new registration requirements, which limited registration to citizens who possessed cédulas de identidad (national identity cards), constituted a violation of universal suffrageUniversal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, the MNR pushed through legislation that added birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
s and military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
cards as valid registration documents. The ADN refused to go along with its ally and eventually charged the MNR with conducting fraudulent registrations. By mid-February this issue had triggered the rupture of the pacto.
The end of the pacto revealed an old reality about Bolivian politics
Politics 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 pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the...
. To achieve power, broad electoral alliance
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
s must be established; yet, electoral alliances have never translated into stable or effective ruling coalitions. On the contrary, electoral alliances have exacerbated the tensions built into a complex system. Thus, once in power, whoever controls the executive must search for mechanisms or coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
s such as the pacto to be able to govern. This search was the single most important challenge facing Bolivian politicians into the 1980s.
As expected, every political party was forced to scramble for new allies. The ADN joined forces with the now minuscule Christian Democrats by naming Ossio Sanjinés as Banzer's running mate in an effort to attract other political elements. Banzer led every major poll, and the ADN repeatedly called for Congress to respect the first majority to emerge from the May 7 election.
The situation was more complex in the MNR where, after a bitter internal struggle, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada y Sánchez de Bustamante , familiarly known as "Goni", is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former President of Bolivia. A lifelong member of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , he is credited for using "shock therapy", the economic theory championed by then...
, a pragmatic former minister of planning and coordination and prominent entrepreneur, captured the party's nomination. The MNR's strategy was to develop Sánchez de Lozada's image as a veteran movimientista (movement leader) to capture populist support. At the same time, party strategists intended to attract support from outside the party by building on the candidate's entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
ial background. The task of converting the candidate into an old party member apparently succeeded: old-line populist politicians dominated the first slots on the party's legislative lists. The naming of former President Walter Guevara Arze as the vice presidential candidate was perceived as further evidence of the party's success in influencing the candidate.
Following a similar electoral logic, the MIR sought to broaden its base of support by establishing ties with several parties, including Carlos Serrate Reich's 9 April Revolutionary Vanguard (Vanguardia Revolucionaria 9 de Abril—VR-9 de Abril), the Revolutionary Front of the Left (Frente Revolucionario de Izquierda), and a number of dissidents from the MNRI. Paz Zamora, the MIR's candidate, led in some polls, and most analysts agreed that he would pose a significant threat to the MNR and ADN.
The left attempted a comeback following the disastrous experience of the UDP years. Headed by Antonio Aranibar's Free Bolivia Movement
Free Bolivia Movement
The Free Bolivia Movement is a progressive political party in Bolivia. The party was formed on January 15, 1985, following a split in MIR...
(Movimiento Bolivia Libre—MBL), the left grouped into a broad front labeled the United Left
United Left
United Left is the name of a political party or coalition in various countries* Argentina - United Left* Austria - United Left * Bolivia - United Left * Chile - United Left* Costa Rica - United Left...
(Izquierda Unida—IU). The IU brought together splinter factions of the MIR, the Socialist Party (PS-1), and the PCB, and it counted on the support of organized labor, especially the COB. Given the historical divisions within the Bolivian left, however, the IU was not perceived to be a serious contender. If it could maintain unity beyond the 1989 elections, observers believed that its impact might be greater than anticipated.
The main newcomer to national electoral politics, although no stranger to La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
politics, was Carlos Palenque. Popularly known as el compadre (the comrade), Palenque was a former folksinger turned radio and television owner and talk show host. His "popular" style of broadcasting had always enjoyed widespread appeal in the working-class and marginal neighborhoods surrounding La Paz. For at least a decade, Palenque had been regarded as a possible candidate for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of La Paz; during the 1987 municipal elections, his name was under consideration by the MNR.
Palenque's move into national politics was prompted by the closing down of his television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for airing accusations made by an infamous drug trafficker, Roberto Suárez Gómez
Roberto Suárez Goméz
Roberto Suárez Goméz, nicknamed "king of cocaine" was a Bolivian drug trafficker who played a major role in the expansion of cocaine trafficking in Bolivia....
, against the Bolivian government. To promote his candidacy, Palenque founded Conscience of the Fatherland (Conciencia de la Patria—Condepa), which grouped together a bizarre strain of disaffected leftists, populists, and nationalists who had defected from several other parties.
Ten parties and fronts contested the election, which was held as scheduled on May 7, 1989. The results, a virtual three-way tie among the MNR, ADN, and MIR, were not surprising. As expected, Congress once again was given the task of electing the next president from the top three contenders. But the slight majority (a mere 5,815 votes) obtained by the MNR's candidate, Sánchez de Lozada, was surprising to observers, as was the unexpected victory by Palenque in La Paz Department. His showing was significant in a number of ways. First, it demonstrated that none of the major political parties had been able to attract lower middle-class and proletarian urban groups, who had flocked to el compadre; Palenque had wisely targeted marginal and displaced sectors of La Paz. Second, Condepa's showing reflected the growth of racial and ethnic tension in Bolivian electoral politics. For the first time in the history of the Bolivian Congress, for example, a woman dressed in native garb would serve as a deputy for La Paz Department.
Claims of fraud from every contender, especially in the recounting of the votes, clouded the legitimacy of the process. At one stage, fearing an agreement between the ADN and MIR, the MNR called for the annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
of the elections. Indeed, negotiations were well advanced between the MIR and ADN to upstage the relative victory obtained by the MNR. Between May and early August, the top three finishers bargained and manipulated in an attempt to secure control of the executive branch.
The composition of Congress exacerbated the tensions between the parties in contention. Because seventy-nine seats are needed to elect a president, compromise was indispensable. In mid-1989, however, it was unclear whether the political system in Bolivia had matured enough to allow for compromise.
Presidential election results
| Presidential candidates | Party | Candidates for Vice President | Party | Party/Alliance | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada y Sánchez de Bustamante , familiarly known as "Goni", is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former President of Bolivia. A lifelong member of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , he is credited for using "shock therapy", the economic theory championed by then... |
MNR | Wálter Guevara Arze | PRA | MNR, PDB, PRA, PCML, MNRI-Siglo XX | 363,113 | 25.64 |
| Hugo Banzer Suárez | ADN | Luis Ossio Sanjinés Luis Ossio Luis Ossio Sanjinés served as Vice President of Bolivia from 1989 to 1993, during the presidency of Jaime Paz Zamora. He belonged to the Christian Democratic Party of Bolivia.-References:... |
PDC | AND, PDC | 357,298 | 25.24 |
| Jaime Paz Zamora Jaime Paz Zamora Jaime Paz Zamora was President of Bolivia from August 6, 1989 to August 6, 1993. He also served as Vice-President between 1982 and 1984.-Foundation of the MIR and alliance with Siles Zuazo:... |
MIR | Gustavo Fernandez Saavedra | MIR | MIR, PCML, MNR-V, | 309,033 | 21.83 |
| Antonio Aranibar Quiroga | MIR-BL | Wálter Delgadillo Terceros | MIR-M | IU | 113,509 | 08.02 |
| Carlos Palenque Avilés | CONDEPA | Jorge Escobari Cusicanqui | CONDEPA | CONDEPA | 173,459 | 12.25 |
| Roger Cortéz Hurtado | PS-1 | Jerjes Justiniano Talavera | PS-1 | PS-1 | 39,763 | 02.81 |
| Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Conde is a Bolivian indigenous Aymara activist and politician. He is the leader of the MRTKL party... |
MRTKL | Emmo Emigdio Valeriano Thola | MRTKL | MRTKL | 22,983 | 01.62 |
| Jenaro Flores Santos Jenaro Flores Santos Jenaro Flores Santos is a Bolivian trade union leader and politician.Flores Santos was the founder of the Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia, or CSUTCB... |
FULKA | Hermógenes Basualdo García | FULKA | FULKA | 16,416 | 01.16 |
| Rommel Pantoja Pantoja | FSB | Néstor Waldo Cerruto | FSB | FSB | 10,608 | 00.75 |
| Luis Sandóval Morón | MIN | Oscar García Suárez | MIN | MIN | 9,687 | 00.68 |
| Valid votes | *** | *** | *** | *** | 1,415,869 | 100.0 |
| Invalid votes | *** | *** | *** | *** | 157,921 | *** |
| Votes cast | *** | *** | *** | *** | 1,573,790 | *** |
| Registered voters | *** | *** | *** | *** | 2,136,560 | *** |
| Population | *** | *** | *** | *** | 7,122,483 | *** |
Congressional confirmation (August, 6 1989)
| Presidential candidates | Parties | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Jaime Paz Zamora Jaime Paz Zamora Jaime Paz Zamora was President of Bolivia from August 6, 1989 to August 6, 1993. He also served as Vice-President between 1982 and 1984.-Foundation of the MIR and alliance with Siles Zuazo:... (MIR) |
MIR, PCML, MNR-V, AND, PDC, CONDEPA | 97 |
| Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada y Sánchez de Bustamante , familiarly known as "Goni", is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former President of Bolivia. A lifelong member of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , he is credited for using "shock therapy", the economic theory championed by then... (MNR) |
MNR, PDB, PCML (d), MNRI-Siglo XX | 50 |
| Not voting | IU | 10 |
| Total | 157 | |
MNR – Revolutionary Nationalist Movement
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement
The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement is a Bolivian political party, perhaps the most important in the country during the 20th century. At the legislative elections in 2002, the party won, in an alliance with the Free Bolivia Movement, 26.9% of the popular vote and 36 out of 130 seats in the...
PDB – Bolivian Democratic Party
PRA – Authentic Revolutionary Party
Authentic Revolutionary Party
The Authentic Revolutionary Party was a right-wing political party in Bolivia.The Authentic Revolutionary Party was founded in 1959 as a faction of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement , the ruling party under the presidency of Víctor Paz Estenssoro by Wálter Guevara Arze,...
PCML (d) – Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist–Leninist) (dissidents)
MNRI-Siglo XX – Leftwing Revolutionary Nationalist Movement - 20th Century
Leftwing Revolutionary Nationalist Movement - 20th Century
The Leftwing Revolutionary Nationalist Movement - 20th Century was a political party in Bolivia. MNRI-Siglo XX was founded in August 1984, after a fraction of technocrats broke away from Hernán Siles Zuazo's ruling Revolutionary Nationalist Leftwing Movement . The main leader of MNRI-Siglo XX was...
PS-Aponte – Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Bolivia, 1971)
The Socialist Party was a left-wing political party in Bolivia.This Socialist Party was established on 1 May 1971 by the merger of three small parties supporting the former military Co-President and the President General Alfredo...
-Guillermo Aponte Burela
AND – Nationalist Democratic Action
Nationalist Democratic Action
Nationalist Democratic Action is a right-wing political party in Bolivia led by Jorge Quiroga. ADN was founded on March 23, 1979 by the military dictator Hugo Banzer after he stepped down from power. It later expanded to include the Revolutionary Left Party and a faction of the Bolivian Socialist...
PDC – Christian Democratic Party
Christian Democratic Party (Bolivia)
The Christian Democratic Party is a progressive Christian-democratic political party in Bolivia....
MIR – Revolutionary Left Movement
Revolutionary Left Movement (Bolivia)
The Revolutionary Left Movement - New Majority is a social democratic political party in Bolivia...
PCML – Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist–Leninist)
MNR-V – Revolutionary Nationalist Movement-Vanguard
IU – United Left
United Left (Bolivia)
The United Left was a political coalition in Bolivia. IU was launched ahead of the 1989 national elections, as a successor of the United People's Front...
. Electoral alliance formed by
Revolutionary Left Movement- Free Bolivia
Free Bolivia Movement
The Free Bolivia Movement is a progressive political party in Bolivia. The party was formed on January 15, 1985, following a split in MIR...
, MIR-BL;
Movement of the Revolutionary Left-Masses, MIR-M;
Communist Party of Bolivia
Communist Party of Bolivia
The Communist Party of Bolivia is a communist party in Bolivia. It was founded in 1950 by Raúl Ruiz González and other former members of the Revolutionary Left Party . It remained small and did not hold its first national party congress until 1959....
, PCB;
Revolutionary Workers' Party-Unified
Revolutionary Workers' Party-Unified
The Revolutionary Workers' Party-Unified was a small Trotskyist political party formed in Bolivia in 1984 by the merging of the Revolutionary Workers' Party-Struggle and the Workers' Vanguard Party .In 1985 POR-U allied with the Revolutionary Liberation Movement Tupaq Katari and its candidate...
, POR-U;
Socialist Party-One
Socialist Party (Bolivia, 1971)
The Socialist Party was a left-wing political party in Bolivia.This Socialist Party was established on 1 May 1971 by the merger of three small parties supporting the former military Co-President and the President General Alfredo...
-Ramiro Velasco Romero, PS-1-Velasco;
Patriotic National Convergency Axis, Eje de C;
Movement for Socialism- Unzaguista, MAS-U;
Revolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-Posadist
Revolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-Posadist
The Revolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-Posadist was a small Trotskyist political party in Bolivia....
, POR-TP.
CONDEPA – Conscience of Fatherland
Conscience of Fatherland
Conscience of the Fatherland was a populist political party in Bolivia in the late 20th century. The party was led by Carlos Palenque.-Goals:CONDEPA was founded in Tiwanaku on September 21, 1988...
PS-1 – Socialist Party-One
Socialist Party (Bolivia, 1971)
The Socialist Party was a left-wing political party in Bolivia.This Socialist Party was established on 1 May 1971 by the merger of three small parties supporting the former military Co-President and the President General Alfredo...
MRTKL – Revolutionary Liberation Movement Tupaq Katari
Revolutionary Liberation Movement Tupaq Katari
The Revolutionary Liberation Movement Tupaq Katari is a left-wing political party in Bolivia....
FULKA – Katarist United Liberation Front
Katarist United Liberation Front
The Katarist United Liberation Front was a Katarist political party in Bolivia. The party was launched by Jenaro Flores Santos ahead of the 1989 elections. FULKA was formed after a split in the Tupaq Katari Revolutionary Movement at the 1988 congress of MRTK...
FSB – Bolivian Socialist Falange
Bolivian Socialist Falange
The Bolivian Socialist Falange was a Bolivian political party established in the year 1937. A right-wing party drawing inspiration from fascism, it was the country's second-largest party between approximately 1954 and 1974...
MIN – Movement of the National Left
Movement of the National Left
The Movement of the National Left was a left-wing political party in Bolivia.In 1978, Luis Sandoval Morón split from the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement and founded the Movement of the National Left...
Results by Department
| Candidates / Department | Chuquisaca Chuquisaca Department Chuquisaca is a department of Bolivia located in the center south. It borders on the departments of Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosí, and Santa Cruz. The departmental capital is Sucre, which is also the constitutional capital of Bolivia.-Geography:... |
La Paz | Cochabamba Cochabamba Department Cochabamba is one of the nine component departments of Bolivia. It is known to be the "granary" of the country because of its variety of agricultural products due to Cochabamba's geographical position. It has an area of 55,631 km². Its population, in the 2007 census, was 1,750,000... |
Oruro Oruro Department Oruro is a department in Bolivia, with an area of 53,588 km². Its capital is the city of Oruro. At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 391,870.- Provinces of Oruro :... |
Potosi Potosí Department Potosí Department is a department in southwestern Bolivia. It comprises 118,218 km² with 709,013 inhabitants . The capital is the city of Potosí.... |
Tarija Tarija Department Tarija is a department in Bolivia. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering Argentina to the south and Paraguay to the east. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 391,226 inhabitants. It has an area of 37.623 km²... |
Santa Cruz | Béni Beni Department Beni, sometimes El Beni, is a northeastern department of Bolivia, in the lowlands region of the country. It is the second largest department in the country , covering 213,564 square kilometers , and it was created by supreme decree on November 18, 1842 during the administration of General José... |
Pando Pando Department Pando is a department of Bolivia, with an area of , adjoining the border with Brazil. Pando has a population 66,689 . Its capital is the city of Cobija.... |
Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Rommel Pantoja Pantoja | 542 | 00.71 | 3,455 | 00,58 | 1,182 | 00,54 | 517 | 00,54 | 1,111 | 00,90 | 247 | 00,35 | 2,624 | 01,03 | 836 | 02,04 | 94 | 01,11 | 10,608 | 00.75 |
| Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Conde is a Bolivian indigenous Aymara activist and politician. He is the leader of the MRTKL party... |
734 | 00.97 | 14,595 | 02,46 | 1,755 | 00,79 | 2,536 | 02,70 | 2,356 | 01,90 | 328 | 00,49 | 592 | 00,23 | 77 | 00,19 | 10 | 00,12 | 22,983 | 01.62 |
| Jenaro Flores Santos Jenaro Flores Santos Jenaro Flores Santos is a Bolivian trade union leader and politician.Flores Santos was the founder of the Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia, or CSUTCB... |
1,037 | 01.37 | 11,002 | 01,85 | 1,293 | 00,58 | 1,060 | 01,13 | 1,278 | 01,03 | 208 | 00,31 | 479 | 00,19 | 52 | 00,13 | 7 | 00,08 | 16,416 | 01.16 |
| Hugo Banzer Suárez | 17,420 | 23.00 | 110,341 | 18,58 | 56,326 | 25,45 | 23,933 | 25,46 | 28,642 | 23,11 | 16,048 | 23,85 | 85,724 | 33,44 | 15,583 | 38,00 | 3,281 | 38,62 | 3357,298 | 25.24 |
| Carlos Palenque Avilés | 684 | 00.90 | 158,742 | 26,74 | 5,519 | 02,49 | 2,744 | 02,92 | 2,126 | 01,72 | 545 | 00,81 | 2,488 | 00,97 | 542 | 01,32 | 69 | 00,81 | 173,459 | 12.25 |
| Jaime Paz Zamora Jaime Paz Zamora Jaime Paz Zamora was President of Bolivia from August 6, 1989 to August 6, 1993. He also served as Vice-President between 1982 and 1984.-Foundation of the MIR and alliance with Siles Zuazo:... |
19,279 | 25.45 | 92,143 | 15,52 | 56,335 | 25,45 | 27,627 | 29,39 | 32,502 | 26,22 | 16,124 | 23,97 | 57,482 | 22,43 | 6,251 | 15,24 | 1,290 | 15,19 | 309,033 | 21.83 |
| Luis Sandóval Morón | 875 | 01.16 | 2,672 | 00,45 | 1,752 | 00,79 | 550 | 00,59 | 1,790 | 01,44 | 367 | 00,55 | 1,566 | 00,61 | 96 | 00,23 | 19 | 00,22 | 9,687 | 00.68 |
| Roger Cortéz Hurtado | 2,996 | 03.96 | 13,465 | 02,27 | 8,259 | 03,73 | 3,744 | 03,98 | 4,578 | 03,69 | 565 | 00,84 | 5,718 | 02,23 | 337 | 00,82 | 101 | 01,19 | 39,763 | 02.81 |
| Antonio Aranibar Quiroga | 15,618 | 20.62 | 88,087 | 14,84 | 31,030 | 14,02 | 7,395 | 07,87 | 19,281 | 15,56 | 5,185 | 07,71 | 9,869 | 03,85 | 2,572 | 06,27 | 472 | 05,56 | 113,509 | 08.02 |
| Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada y Sánchez de Bustamante , familiarly known as "Goni", is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former President of Bolivia. A lifelong member of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , he is credited for using "shock therapy", the economic theory championed by then... |
16,559 | 21.86 | 99,222 | 16,71 | 57,908 | 26,16 | 23,892 | 25,42 | 30,274 | 24,43 | 27,664 | 41,12 | 89,775 | 35,02 | 14,667 | 35,76 | 3,152 | 37,10 | 363,113 | 25.64 |
| Valid votes | 75,744 | 100.0 | 527,724 | 100.0 | 221,359 | 100.0 | 93,998 | 100.0 | 123,938 | 100.0 | 67,281 | 100.0 | 256,317 | 100.0 | 41,013 | 100.0 | 8,495 | 100.0 | 1,415,869 | 100.0 |
| Invalid votes | 9,509 | *** | 60,637 | *** | 24,910 | *** | 12,603 | *** | 23,568 | *** | 5,868 | *** | 13,86 | *** | 6,289 | *** | 587 | *** | 157,921 | *** |
| Votes cast | 85,253 | *** | 588,361 | *** | 246,359 | *** | 106,601 | *** | 147,506 | *** | 73,149 | *** | 270,177 | *** | 47,302 | *** | 9,082 | *** | 1,573,790 | *** |