Andrónico Rodríguez (C) and his running mate, Mariana Prado, heading to the TSE headquarters. Photo: APG.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Bolivia suspended the presidential candidacy of Andrónico Rodríguez, who is backed by the Popular Alliance.
On May 18, Rodríguez, current president of the Bolivian Senate, was confirmed as a candidate by the Popular Alliance, a leftist coalition made up of the Third System Movement (MTS), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (PSR), and the Autonomous Movement for Work and Hope (MATE). The announcement of his candidacy was made by MTS leader Félix Patzi.
Although the TSE received the Popular Alliance’s list of candidates, it suspended the registration of Rodríguez and his vice-presidential running mate, Mariana Prado, as well as other candidates of the coalition, pending a ruling by the First Constitutional Chamber of the Beni department on whether the movement is eligible to participate in the elections to be held in August.
Previously, the Constitutional Chamber admitted a legal challenge filed by Peter Erlwein Beckhauser seeking to annul the MTS’s legal status. The plaintiff alleges that MTS is in violation of TSE resolutions amid an internal leadership dispute between Patzi and his ex-wife, Maziel Terrazas.
The chamber is expected to hold a hearing on the matter on Thursday, May 22, to determine whether the Popular Alliance can move forward with its candidate registration.
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Amid speculation over a potential political maneuver to disqualify him, Rodríguez called for “a constant vigil and unity from the popular movement in defense of democracy, free participation, and the people’s right to decide at the ballot box—rights that cannot be subject to a political decision by a court or an electoral official.”
On Tuesday, May 20, TSE official Tahuichi Quispe commented that Rodríguez may be engaging in political defection and that his original party, the Movement Towards Socialismo (MAS), could claim the Senate seat he currently holds. According to Article 39 of Law 1096 on Political Organizations, the seat belongs to the party, not the individual, and the law prohibits candidates from switching parties without following established procedures.
During the swearing-in of new Interior Minister Roberto Ríos, Bolivian President Luis Arce said that certain groups may attempt to destabilize the election process. However, he expressed confidence that the Bolivian people would thwart such efforts.
Former Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo has been registered as MAS’s presidential candidate, with Milán Berna as his running mate. It was also confirmed that MAS registered Arce as its lead Senate candidate for the department of La Paz.
