Bolivia

Recall Referendum

August 10th

Description of Electoral System:

(Courtesy of IFES election guide, Bolivian Constitution and Bolivian Electoral Code)

The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term. In the Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) 27 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 5-year terms. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) 130 members are elected to serve 5-year terms. Members are elected from party lists. 68 are directly elected from their districts and 62 are elected by proportional representation from party lists.

The vote is free, obligatory, direct and secret. Other principles of the suffrage are the proportional system of representation for Deputies and Councillors. Also, exist the majorities and minorities systems for the case of Senators, to guarantee the minorities and majority’s rights. In the case of general elections, the territory it’s divided in the following circumscriptions: one national, nine departmental, and sixty eight uninominal. 

The Electoral National Court of Bolivia it’s the maxima electoral authority. The decisions of the Court are of obligatory, unquestionable and fulfillment, with exception of the ones related to Constitutional Court.  Also they have Departmental Courts, electoral judges, juries of the suffrages polls, electoral notaries and other than the law decided.

For the President’s election they used the method of the absolute majority with second round election and a unique national circumscription. If the formulas for President and Vice-president of the Republic not obtained the absolute majority of valid suffrages, the Congress will elect by absolute majority of valid votes, in oral and nominal voting, between the two formulas that had obtained the greater number of valid suffrages. In case of tie, the voting by twice consecutive will be repeated, in oral and nominal form. If persist the tie, one will proclaim President and Vice-president to the candidates who had obtained the simple majority of valid suffrages in the general election.

 For the Senators election, it used the proportional system with a closed and blocked list; also it used the Saint Lague method for the election, without personal vote or legal barrier.  In each one of the departmental circumscriptions have three titular senators, each one with their respective substitute will elect themselves. Two senators will correspond to majority and one to the first minority. For the deputies election in uninominal circumscription, the Electoral National Court it will divide the national territory in sixty eight electoral circumscription. In each one uninominal circumscription it will elect for simple majority of valid suffrages -with a proportional system- a one deputy with his respective substitute.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

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Upcoming elections

(Courtesy of Law N° 3728 of 4th August )

In December of 2007 the Bolivian Constituent Assembly will approve the text of the New Political Constitution project.  The articles of this text that are not approve by them will be decide by the Bolivian citizens in a “ Referendum Dirimidor”.   The resulting text after this election will we approved again by the Bolivian Constituent Assembly and, after this act, the Executive branch will call another election called “Referéndum Constituyente”, in which the Bolivian citizens can approved the entire text of the New Political Constitution project