Bolivia Politics Explained, Who Holds Power in 2026

BOLIVIA · POLITICS

From the presidential palace to the governors of Santa Cruz and La Paz, power is shared. Here is who holds it in October 2026.

Bolivia politics in October 2026 revolves around President Rodrigo Paz, a Christian Democrat who took office on Saturday, 8 November 2025. He governs without a majority, beside a vice president who criticises him in public and amid fuel-price protests.

This guide names who holds power, from the cabinet and Congress to the courts, the police and the governors. Every office holder below held the post in October 2026, and every figure carries its date.

Conversions use Bs 11.68 per US$1, the open.er-api.com rate of 20 October 2026 (00:02 UTC). The IMF programme requires a market-determined exchange rate, so the rate can move from week to week.

Related guides cover Bolivia in the geopolitical contest and who runs Bolivia’s economy. Daily coverage sits on the Rio Times Bolivia page.

How Bolivia Politics Works Under President Paz

Bolivia is a presidential republic with a five-year presidential term. Paz won the runoff of Sunday, 19 October 2025, with 54.96% of the votes, Teleamazonas reported.

His rival, conservative former president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, took 45.04%. The win ended about 20 years of left-wing rule by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) under Evo Morales and Luis Arce.

Paz campaigned on “capitalism for all”, with cheap credit for entrepreneurs and cuts in taxes and tariffs. He is the son of Jaime Paz Zamora, president from 1989 to 1993.

The Plurinational Legislative Assembly, Bolivia’s two-chamber congress, has 36 senators and 130 deputies. The vice president, Edmand Lara, a former police officer, presides over it by right.

The Rio Times profile of Rodrigo Paz covers his career in detail. It is a useful companion to this guide.

The President and His Cabinet

Paz cut the cabinet from 14 to 12 ministries on Monday, 3 August 2026, closing Planning and Tourism. The Justice Ministry had already been shut in November 2025, with some of its tasks moved to other ministries.

The cabinet has changed often in 2026, and the list below shows the main holders in October. Each date comes from regional press reports of the swearing-in.

• Fernando Aramayo, Minister of the Presidency since 3 August 2026. He was foreign minister before that and now leads the president’s office.
• Héctor Huanca, Foreign Minister since 3 August 2026. A lawyer who spent 15 years at the Ombudsman’s office, he was previously vice minister for consular affairs.
• Marco Antonio Oviedo, Government Minister, who oversees the police. He told the Assembly on 17 September 2026 that the state of exception can be extended only once.
• Ernesto Justiniano, Defence Minister since Wednesday, 3 June 2026. He was recently the country’s anti-drug chief and replaced Marcelo Salinas, who resigned.
• Christian Morales, Minister of Economy and Public Finance since Wednesday, 26 August 2026. He replaced José Gabriel Espinoza, whom the Assembly had censured.
• Marcelo Blanco, Hydrocarbons Minister since 22 April 2026. He replaced Mauricio Medinaceli, who ran fuel policy through the first months of shortages.
• Erick Sanjinés, Education Minister since Wednesday, 10 June 2026. He took over from Beatriz García, and his appointment was the third ministerial change in more than 40 days of conflict.
• Williams Bascopé, Labour Minister since 21 May 2026, after Édgar Morales resigned. He is a constitutional lawyer who said dialogue would be his priority.
• José Luis Gálvez, the presidential spokesman. He spoke for the government on the arrest of alternate senator Nilton Condori on 18 October 2026.
• David Espinoza, central bank president since 6 January 2026. Paz swore him in with a four-member board at the Palacio Quemado.

Congress, Parties and the Vice President

No party holds a majority in either chamber. Official results show Paz’s Christian Democratic Party (PDC) as the largest group, with 49 of 130 deputies and 16 of 36 senators.

The main parties are listed below with their seats in the 2025 to 2030 Assembly. The seat counts follow the official results as laid out by eju.tv.

• PDC, the party of President Paz, with 49 deputies and 16 senators. It campaigned on market-friendly reform and leads the government.
• Libre, the alliance led by Quiroga, with 39 deputies and 12 senators.
• Unidad, the alliance led nationally by businessman Samuel Doria Medina, with 26 deputies and 7 senators. Several officials who distanced themselves from Paz left the executive in October 2026.
• APB Súmate, the party of Manfred Reyes Villa, who began a second term as Cochabamba mayor on 4 May 2026, with 5 deputies and 1 senator. Popular Alliance holds 8 deputies and no senators.
• MAS, the party of Morales and Arce, has 2 deputies and no senators. One more deputy sits for an Indigenous seat without a party.

On 8 October 2026 Los Tiempos reported that officials left Paz’s side, among them José Luis Lupo and Vice Minister Hernán Paredes. Lupo had resigned as Minister of the Presidency, and Paredes as Vice Minister of Interior Regime and Police.

Vice President Lara presides over the Assembly and has become one of the president’s sharpest critics. On 6 August 2026 he told Paz and his cabinet to admit an economic and security crisis, Noticias Argentinas reported.

On 18 October 2026 Lara said justice must not be used to silence voices, after police arrested alternate senator Nilton Condori. Back from Spain, he had blamed Senate president Ávila for delaying the swearing-in of the interim attorney general, Visión 360 reported.

Deputy Manolo Rojas of the PDC chairs the Chamber’s Justice Commission and filed the complaint behind Condori’s arrest. It accuses Morales, Condori and others of terrorism and public instigation to commit crimes, Opinión reported.

Courts, Prosecutors and the Mariaca Case

The Assembly elects Bolivia’s attorney general, who directs every criminal case. Roger Mariaca held the post until the Assembly suspended him on Friday, 2 October 2026.

The US State Department barred Mariaca from entering the United States, accusing him of taking bribes to facilitate drug trafficking. Police apprehended him after the ban, Visión 360 reported.

Lawmakers suspended Mariaca by 113 votes to 11, with 3 abstentions and 1 blank vote, above the two-thirds threshold. The Assembly had changed Law 260 so it can name an interim attorney general in the same session, Red Uno reported.

Judge Juan Carlos Montalbán ordered six months of pre-trial detention for Mariaca at Cantumarca prison in Potosí on Saturday, 3 October 2026. No charge against him has been proven in court.

The Assembly elected José Armando Urioste interim attorney general for 90 days, and Lara swore him in on Monday, 5 October 2026. Urioste says he has 30 years of legal practice, and Lara asked him to clean up corruption in the prosecution service.

Two lithium contracts, with China’s CBC and Russia’s Uranium One Group, are stalled in the Assembly. They were signed under Arce, and eju.tv reported on 12 July 2026 that they wait for a court.

The Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal is reviewing a popular action by 53 Indigenous communities of Nor Lípez, in Potosí. The communities question the consultation process and the effects on land and ecosystems.

Police, Army and the State of Exception

The Government Ministry runs the police, and Police Commander Adrián Álvarez received US riot gear on Friday, 9 October 2026. The State Department’s narcotics bureau paid for protective equipment and crowd-control material for the tactical unit UTOP, Erbol reported.

Defence Minister Justiniano answers for the armed forces, which backed the state of exception. Government spokesman Gálvez said the road blockades lasted 53 days.

The Assembly extended the state of exception by 90 days on Thursday, 17 September 2026, with 100 of 158 present in favour. Oviedo told lawmakers that Law 1740 allows only one extension, Nodal reported.

That puts the end of the measure at about mid-December 2026, although no source checked gives the exact date. Justiniano gave lawmakers an oral report backed by 12 institutional reports, Nodal reported.

The name of the current commander in chief of the armed forces could not be confirmed for this guide. It therefore names only the civilian minister who answers for them.

The Rio Times report on the state of emergency covers the blockades and the army’s role. The government spokesman linked the Condori arrest to those 53 days.

Governors, Mayors and the 50-50 Plan

Bolivia elected new governors and mayors in 2026, and they took office on Monday, 4 May 2026. Manfred Reyes Villa began a second term as mayor of Cochabamba that day, Los Tiempos reported.

Juan Pablo Velasco, Quiroga’s 2025 running mate, became governor of Santa Cruz on 4 May 2026 after winning the final count. On 3 August 2026 he said Santa Cruz would bring a legal plan to the 50-50 talks.

Luis Revilla was elected governor of La Paz, after the electoral tribunal said on 1 April 2026 that no runoff was needed. The party breakdown of all nine governorships could not be confirmed for this guide.

Paz and the nine governors were due to meet in Cobija, Pando, on Monday, 12 October 2026, to advance his “50-50” plan. It aims to rebalance public money, because the central government holds more than 80% of state funds, Los Tiempos reported.

Evista leader Vicente Choque warned on 9 October that supporters could encircle Santa Cruz city if the Assembly passes an anti-blockade law. One leader said blockades would be used to bring cases against Velasco, Opinión reported.

The bill has cleared the Chamber’s Justice Commission, and no full vote was confirmed. Libre deputy Adriana Jiménez said prosecutors would first need documented evidence.

Evo Morales, the Streets and the Rising Figures

Evo Morales, president from 2006 to 2019, is in the Trópico de Cochabamba, a coca-growing lowland. He faces two arrest warrants, one for alleged human trafficking and one tied to the blockades, eju.tv reported on 17 September 2026.

Oviedo said that day that the government will carry out the warrant, and Justiniano said the timing would stay secret. No arrest of Morales appeared in the sources checked by 20 October 2026.

On Saturday, 26 September 2026, Morales gave Paz until 3 October to repeal Decrees 5716 and 5727, La Patria reported. Decree 5716 ended the diesel subsidy on 18 September, setting the price at Bs 17.95 (about US$1.54) a litre, Infobae reported.

His allies said marches toward La Paz could start from Tuesday, 13 October 2026, although La Patria is unclear on the timing. The COB, the main union federation, declared a state of emergency on 16 October and rejected new decrees, Los Tiempos reported.

Police arrested alternate senator Nilton Condori in El Alto on Sunday, 18 October 2026, as he headed to a meeting. A prosecutor’s order cites public instigation to commit crimes and terrorism, and the case file also names Morales, El Deber reported.

Several figures are rising in this crisis. They are the people to watch beyond the president:

• Juan Pablo Velasco, governor of Santa Cruz and Quiroga’s 2025 running mate. He is pressing the 50-50 plan for more regional funds.
• Luis Revilla, governor of La Paz, elected in 2026 without a runoff. His department includes the seat of government.
• Manolo Rojas, PDC deputy and chair of the Justice Commission. He filed the complaint against Morales and Condori.
• José Armando Urioste, interim attorney general for 90 days from 5 October. The Assembly decides who holds the post permanently.

Where Bolivia Sits in the Power Index

The Rio Times Latin America Power Index of October 2026 ranks Bolivia 12th of 14 countries, with 28.4 points out of 100. The full table is on the Latin America power map.

Bolivia’s strongest pillar is military means, at 54.6, and its weakest is influence, at 13.0. The index places Bolivia in the hedging group, neither clearly with Washington nor with Beijing.

Its other scores are 49.4 for state capacity, 24.3 for economic relationships, 17.4 for future resources and 13.2 for economic weight. The country strip on the power map notes that fuel prices reportedly rose 83%.

For the foreign-policy side, read the Bolivia geopolitics guide and the guide to Bolivia’s role in Latin America. The Bolivia explainer covers the fuel crisis.

What It Means for US Readers

The State Department rates Bolivia Level 2, exercise increased caution, in an advisory issued on 18 August 2026. It warns that large demonstrations can start with little warning and says do not travel to Chapare Province because of crime.

Washington is a visible partner of the Paz government, with US-funded riot gear delivered to the police on 9 October 2026. The US visa ban on Mariaca came before his arrest.

The IMF announced a 36-month programme of about US$1.9 billion on 2 October 2026, with US$214 million available at once. It requires an end to fuel subsidies, a market exchange rate and state firm reform, the issues behind Decrees 5716 and 5727.

Investors in lithium face two stalled Chinese and Russian contracts and an open court case. Travellers should check roads daily, because protests by Morales supporters may disrupt the highways linking La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.

Readers planning a stay can start with the La Paz cost of living guide. Lithium background is in the Bolivia lithium explainer.

What Is Not Known

• The name of the commander in chief of the armed forces could not be confirmed. Nor could the current presidents of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Tribunal and the electoral tribunal.
• The full list of all 12 ministers could not be confirmed on the presidency website. The Health, Public Works and other ministers named in November 2025 may have changed.
• The party breakdown of all nine governorships could not be confirmed. This guide names only the governors of Santa Cruz and La Paz.
• The exact end date of the state of exception is not published in the sources checked. It should run to about mid-December 2026.
• Whether the government will arrest Morales, and when, is not known. Officials say the timing is secret.
• How large the marches that Morales supporters called from 13 October were is not known. No outcome was confirmed for this guide.
• Whether the full Chamber of Deputies will pass the anti-blockade bill is not known. A national strike announced for Friday, 23 October 2026 appears only on the Rio Times power map and could not be confirmed with a regional source.
• Who will become permanent attorney general is not known. No date was confirmed, and Urioste serves for 90 days from 5 October.
• The fate of the two lithium contracts is not known. It depends on the Constitutional Tribunal and the Assembly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the president of Bolivia in 2026?

Rodrigo Paz, a Christian Democrat, has been president since Saturday, 8 November 2025. He won the runoff of 19 October 2025 with 54.96% of the vote.

Who is Bolivia’s vice president?

Edmand Lara, a former police officer, is vice president and presides over the Legislative Assembly. He has criticised Paz in public and swore in the interim attorney general on 5 October 2026.

Which parties hold power in Bolivia?

The Christian Democratic Party of Paz is the largest, with 49 of 130 deputies and 16 of 36 senators. Libre and Unidad are the next largest, with 39 and 26 deputies.

Who runs Bolivia’s police and army?

Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo oversees the police under Commander Adrián Álvarez, and Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano answers for the army. The name of the armed forces commander could not be confirmed.

Is Evo Morales still a political force in Bolivia?

Yes, from the Chapare region, where he faces two arrest warrants. His allies said marches toward La Paz could start from 13 October 2026.

Is Bolivia safe to visit in 2026?

The US rates Bolivia Level 2, exercise increased caution, because roadblocks and demonstrations can start with little warning. It says do not travel to Chapare Province because of crime.

Sources: Presidency of Bolivia; Presidency of Bolivia, central bank swearing-in (6 January 2026); Teleamazonas, Paz inauguration (8 November 2025); eju.tv, official seat results of the 2025 to 2030 Assembly; Red Uno, first cabinet; Red Uno, cabinet changes of 3 August 2026; La Patria, cabinet cut to 12 ministries; Infobae, cabinet changes (4 August 2026); Infobae, new economy minister (26 August 2026); Infobae, new defence minister (3 June 2026); Los Tiempos, education minister; Los Tiempos, labour minister; Los Tiempos, Unidad officials leave the government (8 October 2026); Nodal, state of exception extension (17 September 2026); eju.tv, Morales arrest warrants (17 September 2026); La Patria, Morales ultimatum (26 September 2026); Infobae, diesel price regime (25 September 2026); Red Uno, Mariaca suspension (3 October 2026); Visión 360, Mariaca detention (3 October 2026); Visión 360, Urioste oath (5 October 2026); eju.tv, lithium contracts and the Constitutional Tribunal (12 July 2026); Erbol, US police donation (9 October 2026); El Deber, Condori arrest (18 October 2026); Opinión, Lara on the Condori arrest; Opinión, anti-blockade bill (9 October 2026); Los Tiempos, governors and the 50-50 plan (12 October 2026); Los Tiempos, COB emergency (16 October 2026); Cadena 3 / Noticias Argentinas, Lara on 6 August 2026; US State Department, Bolivia travel advisory (18 August 2026); IMF, Bolivia 36-month arrangement (2 October 2026); Los Tiempos, Velasco sworn in (4 May 2026); Los Tiempos, Revilla and La Paz (1 April 2026); Los Tiempos, Reyes Villa second term (4 May 2026) (all accessed 20 October 2026). Rankings and scores come from The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, October 2026 edition.