The center-right President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, swore in his government on Sunday (9), in which the indigenous and popular sectors that were a major party in the last twenty years of socialist governments were not represented.
The administrations of Evo Morales (2006-2019) and Luis Arce (2020-2025) were distinguished by the appointment of peasant leaders as ministers.
According to the latest census of 2024, 38.7% of Bolivia’s 11.3 million people are indigenous, mainly Quechua and Aymara.
Paz appointed collaborators linked to private activity and technocrats in key ministries: José Luis Lobo (Minister of the Presidency), Fernando Aramayo (Chancellery), Marco Antonio Oviedo (Government), Gabriel Espinosa (Economy), and Mauricio Medinaceli (Hydrocarbons and Energy).
The newly sworn-in president, who took office on Saturday (8), ordered his ministers to solve the country’s pressing problems, such as fuel shortages at service stations and dollars in banks, as well as annual inflation, which reached 19% in October.
The coalition of Paz and the right-wing parties of Jorge Quiroga and Samuel Doria Medina won a major victory in Congress, leaving the Movement for Socialism (MAS) as a smaller force.
Paz justified the absence of popular movements in his team of ministers. He asked, “For 20 years, the sectors were represented… Today, after a 20-year work methodology, is Bolivia better?” “It is time to give space to meritocracy and efficiency and transform the state to provide services to the people,” he added.
The inauguration also saw differences regarding the Morales and Arce governments. The oath was taken in front of a Bible and cross, which were replaced with indigenous symbols during MAS’s tenure.
The new president also chose to remove the multi-colored flag of Huivala, which represents indigenous people, especially the Aymara people, from the facade of the Government Palace, which sparked criticism from Evo.
Morales said in his book “X” that “its removal is an insult to the indigenous peasant movement and an attempt to erase collective memory. From a state of inclusion we have become a state of exclusion.”
The former president has been in Chaparre since 2024 due to an arrest warrant in a child trafficking case, charges he denies.
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