View source for President of Bolivia

{{Short description|Head of state and government of Bolivia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{For|a complete list|List of presidents of Bolivia}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = President
| body = the<br />Plurinational State of Bolivia
| native_name = {{small|Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia}}
| insignia = Escudo de Bolivia.svg
| insigniasize = 125px
| insigniacaption = Coat of arms of Bolivia
| flag = 
| flagcaption = Logo of the Bolivian government
| style = [[The Most Excellent]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-09-27|url=http://www.un.int/protocol/documents/Hspmfm.pdf|access-date=2020-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927014351/http://www.un.int/protocol/documents/Hspmfm.pdf|title=HEADS OF STATE HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS|archive-date=27 September 2012}}</ref><br>(formal)<br>[[Excellency|His Excellency]]<br>(diplomatic)
| termlength = Five years,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/america/2023-12-30/el-tribunal-constitucional-de-bolivia-anula-la-reeleccion-indefinida-e-inhabilita-a-evo-morales-para-2025.html|title=El Tribunal Constitucional de Bolivia anula la reelección indefinida e inhabilita a Evo Morales para 2025|language=Spanish|access-date=December 30, 2023|date=December 30, 2023|website=El País}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lostiempos.com/actualidad/pais/20230913/presidente-del-tcp-retrocede-ahora-dice-que-aplicara-decision-corteidh|title=Presidente del TCP retrocede, ahora dice que aplicará decisión de la CorteIDH sobre la reelección|language=Spanish|access-date=September 14, 2023|date=September 14, 2023|website=Los Tiempos}}</ref>
| termlength_qualified = renewable once
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of Bolivia]] (2009)
| appointer = [[Direct election|Direct popular vote]] ([[Two-round system|two rounds]] if necessary)
| nominator = [[Plurinational Electoral Organ]]
| seat = [[La Paz]]
| image = Rodrigo Paz, presidente de Bolivia.jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = [[Rodrigo Paz]]
| incumbentsince = 8 November 2025
| residence = [[Casa Grande del Pueblo]]
| formation = {{start date and age|1825|6|24|p=1|br=1}}
| inaugural = [[Simón Bolívar]]
| status = [[Head of state]]<br/>[[Head of government]]
| deputy = [[Vice President of Bolivia]]
| first = [[José Mariano Serrano]]<ref>{{cite web | author1=Carlos D Mesa G | title=Presidentes de Bolivia: Entre urnas y fusiles : El poder ejecutivo, los ministros de estado | date=2003 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=81F7AAAAMAAJ }}</ref>
| salary = {{currency|24251|BOB}} / {{currency|3561|USD}} monthly<ref>{{cite web |last1=PAZ/ANF |first1=LA |title=El salario del Presidente sube de 22.987 a 24.251 bolivianos |url=https://www.opinion.com.bo/articulo/el-pais/salario-presidente-sube-22987-24251-bolivianos/20180503203800612618.html |website=Opinión Bolivia |date=3 May 2018 |language=es}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|https://www.presidencia.gob.bo/}}
}}
{{Politics of Bolivia}}

The '''president of Bolivia''' ({{langx|es|link=no|Presidente de Bolivia}}), officially known as the '''president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia''' ({{langx|es|link=no|Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia}}), is [[head of state]] and [[head of government]] of [[Bolivia]] and the [[captain general]] of the [[Armed Forces of Bolivia]].

According to the [[Constitution of Bolivia|Bolivian Constitution]], the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term and may serve a maximum of two terms. A strict and inviolable two-term limit is enshrined in the [[Constitution of Bolivia|Bolivian Constitution]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bolivia/|title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|website=cia.gov|language=en|access-date=2017-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-30 |title=Bolivian court rules that former president Morales cannot seek re-election |url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20231230-bolivian-court-rules-that-former-president-morales-cannot-seek-re-election |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> If no candidate wins a majority (defined as either more than 50%, or alternatively at least 40% and at least 10% more than the second-place candidate), the top two candidates advance to a runoff election.

[[Rodrigo Paz]] is the 68th and current president of Bolivia, having assumed office on 8 November 2025.

== Constitutional history ==
{{See|Constitutional history of Bolivia}}

=== Establishment ===
On 6 August 1825, the Republic of Bolivia [[Bolivian Declaration of Independence|declared its independence]] and proclaimed [[Simón Bolívar]] head of state. While it is certainly true that Bolívar was the official ruler of the country starting from his arrival on 12 August, there exists conflict amongst scholars as to whether he should be considered the first president of the republic.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mendoza|first=Luz|title=¿Quién fue el primer presidente de Bolivia?; se enciende el debate por el cargo de Simón Bolívar|url=https://eju.tv/2011/12/quin-fue-el-primer-presidente-de-bolivia-se-enciende-el-debate-por-el-cargo-de-simn-bolvar/|access-date=2020-11-24|website=eju.tv|date=19 December 2011 |language=es}}</ref> According to the research of the Bolivian historian Isaac Sandoval, in his book ''"Political development in the social formation of Bolivia"'' it is affirmed that the first president of Bolivia was not Bolívar, but [[Antonio José de Sucre]]. This is due to the fact that Bolívar is never referred to as president in legal documents and was never sworn-in having renounced the title in favor of Sucre on 29 December 1825. Sucre, on the other hand, was president when the country's first Constitution was promulgated on 19 November 1826.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Primera Constitucion Política de Bolivia o Constitución Bolivariana|url=https://jorgemachicado.blogspot.com/2008/12/primera-constitucion-poltica-de-bolivia.html|access-date=2020-11-24|website=APUNTES JURIDICOS™}}</ref>

Historian and author of the book ''"Presidents of Bolivia: Between urns and rifles"'' [[Carlos Mesa]] asserts that Bolívar was indeed the first president and that the lack of mention of him with the title is due to the fact the term "president" was not in common use in legal documents at the time. Mesa points to the Congressional decree of 11 August 1825 which proclaims Bolívar "liberator" granting him "Supreme Executive Power of the Republic." Whatever the case, the position of Simón Bolívar as the first president is the most generally accepted stance.

The Political Constitution of 1826, also known as the Bolivarian Constitution, was the first constitutional text prepared by Simón Bolívar, sanctioned by the General Constituent Congress on 6 November 1826 and promulgated by Antonio José de Sucre on 19 November 1826.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia: Constitución política de 1826, 19 de noviembre de 1826|url=https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-CPE-18261119-1.xhtml|access-date=2020-11-24|website=lexivox.org}}</ref> In this first instance, the presidency constituted a lifetime position with the power to elect and appoint a successor. The lifetime position was repealed during the presidency of [[Andrés de Santa Cruz]] who promulgated the Political Constitution of 1831.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia: Constitución política de 1831, 14 de agosto de 1831|url=https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-CPE-18310814.html?dcmi_identifier=BO-CPE-18310814&format=html|access-date=2020-11-24|website=lexivox.org}}</ref> Instead, the president would serve for a four-year term of government with the ability to be reelected unlimitedly.

=== 2009 Political Constitution ===
The [[Bolivian Constitution of 2009|2009 Political Constitution]], approved by [[2009 Bolivian constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 25 January 2009 and promulgated by President [[Evo Morales]] on 7 February resulted in the official name of the country, leaving behind its previous denominative of ''Republic of Bolivia'' to become ''the Plurinational State of Bolivia''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia: Constitución Política del Estado de 2009, 7 de febrero de 2009|url=https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-CPE-20090207.html|access-date=2020-11-24|website=lexivox.org}}</ref> As such, Evo Morales was the 65th and last President of the Republic and the first President of the State. The Constitution extended the term of the president from four years to five years while keeping the two-term limit. On 21 February 2016, a proposal to abolish term limits failed to pass via [[2016 Bolivian constitutional referendum|constitutional referendum]] by a margin of 51% to 49%.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Watts|first1=Dan Collyns Jonathan|last2=correspondent|first2=Latin America|last3=agencies|first3=and|date=2016-02-24|title=Bolivian referendum goes against Evo Morales as voters reject fourth term|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/22/bolivia-evo-morales-president-national-referendum-fourth-term|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Despite this, on 28 November 2017, the [[Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Bolivia)|Supreme Tribunal of Justice]] ruled that all elected officials could run for office indefinitely, rather than for the two consecutive terms permitted under the 2009 Constitution. The court justified its decision based on the [[American Convention on Human Rights]]' interpretation of political rights.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia Says Goodbye to Term Limits|url=https://nacla.org/news/2017/12/20/bolivia-says-goodbye-term-limits|access-date=2020-11-24|website=NACLA|language=en|archive-date=18 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118180032/https://nacla.org/news/2017/12/20/bolivia-says-goodbye-term-limits|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Prior to 2009, if no candidate won more than half of the popular vote, the president was chosen by a vote in a joint legislative session from among the top two candidates (prior to 1995, the top three). This system led to multiple times in which the loser of the popular vote, once even the third place finisher, were elected president. This was replaced by a [[two-round system]] in which if no party won more than half of the popular vote in the first electoral round, the top two contenders would run in a runoff election.

== Incumbency ==

=== Vacancies and succession ===
Of the 68 people who have served as President of Bolivia, 13 (19%) died by tragic means, five died in office, and three died by assassination; [[Pedro Blanco Soto]] was shot while trying to escape custody, [[Agustín Morales]] was shot in self-defense after he attacked one of his military assistants, and [[Gualberto Villarroel]] was [[Lynching|lynched]] outside the government palace. [[Germán Busch]] committed suicide and [[René Barrientos]] died in a [[helicopter]] crash; both deaths are rumored to have been planned assassinations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Conmoción y duda: ¿fue la muerte de Germán Busch un suicidio?|url=https://www.paginasiete.bo/gente/2019/10/8/conmocion-duda-fue-la-muerte-de-german-busch-un-suicidio-233526.html|access-date=2020-12-07|website=paginasiete.bo|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=¿René Barrientos fue víctima de un magnicidio?|url=https://www.paginasiete.bo/gente/2019/5/4/rene-barrientos-fue-victima-de-un-magnicidio-216934.html|access-date=2020-12-07|website=paginasiete.bo|language=es}}</ref> A further eight former presidents were assassinated in various ways after leaving office.

==== Line of succession ====
According to Article 169 I of the 2009 Constitution: "In the event of an impediment or definitive absence of the president, he or she shall be replaced by the [[Vice President of Bolivia|vice president]] and, in the absence of the latter, by the [[President of the Chamber of Senators of Bolivia|president of the Senate]], and in his or her absence by the [[President of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia|president of the Chamber of Deputies]]. In this last case, new elections shall be called within a maximum period of 90 days.<ref name="cons">"Artículo 169: En caso de impedimento o ausencia definitiva de la Presidenta o del Presidente del Estado, será reemplazada o reemplazado en el cargo por la Vicepresidenta o el Vicepresidente y, a falta de ésta o éste, por la Presidenta o el Presidente del Senado, y a falta de ésta o éste por la Presidente o el Presidente de la Cámara de Diputados. En este último caso, se convocarán nuevas elecciones en el plazo máximo de noventa días." {{cite book|url=http://www.presidencia.gob.bo/download/constitucion.pdf|title=Nueva Constitución Política del Estado|pages=36–37|chapter=Segunda Parte, Título II, Capítulo Primero|access-date=12 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521023641/http://www.presidencia.gob.bo/download/constitucion.pdf|archive-date=21 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Historically there have been multiple periods of time during different constitutions in which the office of vice president has been rendered nonexistent and more still in which the office was vacant. Between 26 October 1839 and 15 February 1878, the office of vice president was abolished with the president of the Senate being the first in the line of succession.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia: Constitución política de 1839, 26 de octubre de 1839|url=https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-CPE-18391026.html#:~:text=Art%C3%ADculo%201%C2%B0.,nombre%20de%20Bolivia%20es%20inalterable.|access-date=2020-11-24|website=lexivox.org}}</ref> During this time, [[Eusebio Guilarte Vera|Eusebio Guilarte]] and [[Tomás Frías Ametller]] both came to power in their capacity as President of the Council of State.

==== Interim president ====
Rather than complete the previous president's term, interim presidents have held office until new elections could be held even if that period of time runs past or cuts short the previous president's term. [[José María Pérez de Urdininea]], [[Felipe S. Guzmán|Felipe Segundo Guzmán]], [[Carlos Blanco Galindo]], [[Carlos Quintanilla]], [[Néstor Guillén]], [[Tomás Monje]], [[Wálter Guevara]], [[Lidia Gueiler Tejada]], [[Eduardo Rodríguez (politician)|Eduardo Rodríguez]] and most recently [[Jeanine Áñez]] all came to power as interim presidents due to the fact the previous president had resigned, been deposed, died, or otherwise left office and new elections had to be held to elect a valid successor.

[[José Miguel de Velasco Franco]] was initially the acting president in the absence of Andrés de Santa Cruz but became interim president due to the fact Santa Cruz never arrived to be sworn-in, forcing a new president to have to be elected by Congress.

==== Acting president ====
In the case of temporary incapacity or absence from the country, the title of Acting President ({{langx|es|link=no|Presidente en ejercicio}}) is transferred to lower officials according to the order of presidential succession. In September 2012, Senate president [[Gabriela Montaño]] became the first woman to assume this office, during the presidency of [[Evo Morales]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Corz|first=Carlos|date=23 September 2012|title=Montaño asume la Presidencia interina de Bolivia, Evo va a la ONU y hablará del mar|newspaper=La Razón|url=http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/Montano-Presidencia-Bolivia-Evo-ONU_0_1693030684.html|url-status=dead|access-date=24 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926021652/http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/Montano-Presidencia-Bolivia-Evo-ONU_0_1693030684.html|archive-date=26 September 2012}}</ref> José Miguel de Velasco Franco, [[Mariano Enrique Calvo]], and [[Pedro José Domingo de Guerra]] were acting presidents for particularly long periods of time of multiple months or, in the case of Enrique Calvo, multiple years.[[File:Plaza Murillo .jpg|thumb|The Casa Grande del Pueblo is current residence of the president of Bolivia]]

=== Residence ===
{{Main|Casa Grande del Pueblo|Palacio Quemado}}

The [[Palacio Quemado]], in English "Burnt Palace," in the legal capital of [[La Paz]] was the official residence of the president of Bolivia from 1853 to 2018. Its nickname originates from the fact that it was set aflame and burned almost to the ground when rebels in opposition to Tomás Frías Ametller failed to storm it and instead opted to light it on fire in 1875. It has since been rebuilt and redecorated a number of times, but the name stuck. At the end of 2018, it ceased to function as the headquarters of the government offices, with plans to turn it instead into a museum.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bolivia|first=Opinión|title=Evo ratifica que Palacio Quemado se convertirá en museo tras inauguración de Casa Grande del Pueblo|url=https://www.opinion.com.bo/articulo/el-pais/evo-ratifica-palacio-quemado-convertir-aacute-museo-inauguraci-oacute-n-casa-grande-pueblo/20180209104500604156.html|access-date=2020-11-24|website=Opinión Bolivia|date=9 February 2018 |language=es}}</ref> Briefly occupied again from 2019 to 2020, it has since returned to being a museum.

In 2018, the official residence of the president was moved by President Evo Morales to the [[Casa Grande del Pueblo]], known in English as the "Great House of the People", replacing the Palacio Quemado as the seat of the Executive Branch of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-07-06|title=Una casa para el pueblo – La Razón|url=http://www.la-razon.com/suplementos/animal_politico/casa-pueblo_0_2958304192.html|access-date=2020-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075712/http://www.la-razon.com/suplementos/animal_politico/casa-pueblo_0_2958304192.html|archive-date=6 July 2018}}</ref> Inaugurated on 9 August 2018, the building houses the president as well as various government ministries. In 2019, Interim President Jeanine Áñez refused to use the new building and returned operations to the Palacio Quemado, though the ministries and other government offices continued to operate within the new building. The Casa Grande returned to being the residence of the president upon the inauguration of Luis Arce on 8 November 2020.

=== Travel ===
[[File:Colorados de bolivia.jpg|thumb|The Colorados of Bolivia in their traditional uniform.]]
The transportation of the president of Bolivia is the charge of the [[Bolivian Air Force|Bolivian Presidential Air Group]], for the transportation of the president at the national short-range level the [[Eurocopter EC145|EC145 helicopter]] is used, for national and international transportation the [[Dassault Falcon 900|Falcon 900EX EASY]] aircraft is used, both manufactured by [[Dassault Aviation]] (France) that make up part of the Bolivian Air Force's aircraft.

=== Protection ===
The Presidential Bodyguard is made up of the [[Bolivian Colorados Regiment|1st Bolivian Colorados]] infantry regiment, which is a military unit of the [[Bolivian Army]] whose specific mission is to protect the security and physical integrity of the president of Bolivia and whose charge is the custody of the Palace of Government and the Casa Grande, as well as other properties of the presidency.

It has two infantry battalions, the BI-201 and BI-202, with their respective barracks, both located in the city of La Paz. The ''Calama headquarters'' is located on the street on the same name where the unit's headquarters and the regimental barracks and training depot operate and the Mirador barracks with a seat on the Quilli Quilli hill. The Villa Pavón area is a training center in various areas of specialization such as assault, support, protection of people, first aid, etc. There are also bedrooms in the Casa Grande del Pueblo for the soldiers who watch and stand guard at the government palace at night.

== Political history ==
{{See|List of presidents of Bolivia}}
Since its independence in 1825, Bolivia has been ruled by key figures in the fight for independence, leaders of the [[War of the Pacific]], representatives of the aristocracy, military dictators and democratically elected leaders. Due to the complexities in the rise to power of these individuals, in Bolivia presidents are divided between two groups. The first are what are classified as "Constitucionales" having come to power legally or through quasi-legal means (achieving power through a revolution or coup d'état but later constitutionalised).<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2016-01-01|title=Inhalt|journal=Jahrbuch für Geschichte Lateinamerikas – Anuario de Historia de America Latina|volume=53|issue=1|doi=10.7767/jbla-2016-0101|issn=2194-3680|doi-access=free}}</ref> The rest are known as de facto presidents, having come to power militarily and never constitutionalised. A third category belongs to interim presidents, placed in power only until a new president is chosen. Interim presidents have historically been both constitutional or de facto depending on the legality of their rise to the office.

Throughout Bolivian history, there have been six periods of time in 1839, 1841, 1848, 1879–1880, and most recently in 2019 in which there has been no head of state. Seven governments were made up of triumvirates: [[:es:Junta Gubernativa de 1861|1861]], [[Federal Government Junta of Bolivia, 1899|1899]], [[:es:Junta de Gobierno de Transición|1920–1921]], [[Junta of Commanders of the Armed Forces 1970 (Bolivia)|1970]], [[Víctor González Fuentes|1978]], [[Junta of Commanders of the Armed Forces 1981 (Bolivia)|1981]], and [[Junta of Commanders of the Armed Forces 1982 (Bolivia)|1982]]. For one month in 1928, [[Hernando Siles Reyes]]' [[Cabinet of Bolivia|cabinet]] ruled the country being the only time when a constituted government was not presided over by an agent. In 1965, faced with discontent from loyalists of [[Alfredo Ovando Candía]], President René Barrientos established the co-presidency between himself and Ovando on 26 May 1965. This is the only example of two presidents ruling at once in Bolivian history and it lasted until 2 January 1966 when Barrientos resigned to run for president in the upcoming [[1966 Bolivian general election|general elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=admins5|date=2014-11-20|title=La Co -Presidencia Barrientos – Ovando 1965|url=https://www.educa.com.bo/militarismo-1964-1978/la-co-presidencia-barrientos-ovando-1965|access-date=2020-11-24|website=educa.com.bo|language=es}}</ref>

In 1983, a poll was taken by [[Última Hora (Bolivia)|''Última Hora'']] newspaper to determine which seven historical presidents were regarded as most significant. The "winners" were Antonio José de Sucre, Andrés de Santa Cruz, [[Manuel Isidoro Belzu]], [[Mariano Melgarejo]], [[Aniceto Arce]], [[Ismael Montes]], and [[Víctor Paz Estenssoro]]. 

Sucre oversaw the early developments of the country with the promulgation of the Political Constitution of 1826. Andrés de Santa Cruz oversaw the unification of Bolivia with [[Peru]] to become the Peru-Bolivian Confederation in 1836. His term as [[Protector (title)|Supreme Protector]] of the [[Peru–Bolivian Confederation]] saw the height of the political power of Bolivia on the South American continent though it would ultimately end in failure and the separation of the two states. Manuel Isidoro Belzu was perhaps amongst the most [[Populism|populist]] Bolivian presidents, attempting to modernize the country through division of wealth. The dictatorship of Mariano Melgarejo saw brutal repression of opposition and Bolivia's indigenous population. Following the [[War of the Pacific]], Aniceto Arce and Ismael Montes would respectivaley become influential leaders in the [[Conservative Party (Bolivia)|Conservative]] and [[Liberal Party (Bolivia)|Liberal]] eras. Víctor Paz Estenssoro led the 1952 National Revolution and founded the [[Revolutionary Nationalist Movement]] (MNR) which heavily influenced Bolivian politics in the second half of the 20th century.

=== Indigenous presidents ===
[[File:Evo Morales Ayma (cropped).jpg|thumb|Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president.]] 
Evo Morales is described as the first indigenous president of Bolivia in academic studies of his presidency, such as those of [[Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian|Muñoz-Pogossian]],{{sfn|Muñoz-Pogossian|2008|p=180}} Webber,{{sfn|Webber|2011|p=1}} Philip and Panizza,{{sfn|Philip|Panizza|2011|p=57}} and Farthing and Kohl,{{sfn|Farthing|Kohl|2014|p=1}} as well as in press reports, such as those of [[BBC News]]. However, there have been challenges to this claim by critics who have asserted that Morales probably has some European ancestry, and thus on genetic grounds is technically ''[[mestizo]]'' rather than solely indigenous.{{sfn|Harten|2011|p=7}} Further, former president [[Enrique Peñaranda]] was of substantially indigenous origin while Andrés de Santa Cruz, was of [[Aymara people|Aymara]] and Inca lineage. Harten asserted that this argument was "misguided[,] wrong[... and] above all irrelevant" because regardless of his genetic makeup, the majority of Bolivians perceive Morales as being the first indigenous president.{{sfn|Harten|2011|p=7}} In Bolivian society, indigeneity is a fluid concept rooted in cultural identity;{{sfn|Harten|2011|p=7}} for instance, many indigenous individuals that have settled in urban areas and abandoned their traditional rural customs have come to identify as ''mestizo''.{{sfn|Farthing|Kohl|2014|p=22}}

=== Women presidents ===
[[File:Lidia Gueiler Tejada.png|thumb|Lidia Gueiler Tejada was Bolivia's first female president.]]
Two women have served as presidents of the country. [[Lidia Gueiler Tejada]] became the first female president of Bolivia (second in the history of the Americas) on 16 November 1979 following a brief coup by [[Alberto Natusch]]. [[Jeanine Áñez|Jeanine Añez]] was the second and most recent female president from 12 November 2019 to 8 November 2020. Both women came to power in similar ways, taking office on an interim basis as members of Congress. As of yet, however, no woman has been elected president by popular vote in Bolivian history.

==See also==
* [[List of presidents of Bolivia]]
* [[History of Bolivia]]
* [[Politics of Bolivia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110607002728/http://www.presidencia.gob.bo/presidentes.php Gallery of Presidents of Bolivia]

{{Bolivia topics}}
{{Presidents of Bolivia}}
{{South_America_in_topic|Presidents of}}
{{Heads of State of the South America}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:President of Bolivia}}
[[Category:Presidents of Bolivia| ]]
[[Category:Politics of Bolivia|Presidents]]
[[Category:Bolivia politics-related lists|Presidents]]
[[Category:1825 establishments in Bolivia]]