2021 El Alto municipal election
7 March 2021
Mayor, all 11 seats on the El Alto Municipal Council
Opinion polls
Registered703,901
Turnout90.10% (Increase 0.74 pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate Eva Copa Zacarías Maquera Henry Contreras
Party J.A.LLALLA.L.P. MAS-IPSP UN
Last election new 4 seats, 32.34% 6 seats, 54.49%
Seats won 8 3 0
Seat change Increase 8 Decrease 1 Decrease 4[lower-alpha 1]
Popular vote 406,700 113,310 12,213
Percentage 68.70% 19.14% 2.06%
Swing new Decrease 13.2 pp Decrease 52.43 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Candidate Óscar Huanca Javier Tarqui
Party Venceremos SOL.bo
Last election new 1 seat, 5.85%
Seats won 0 0
Seat change Decrease 2[lower-alpha 1] Decrease 1
Popular vote 11,331 7,428
Percentage 1.91% 1.25%
Swing new Decrease 4.6 pp
Mayor before election

Soledad Chapetón
UN

 Mayor after election

Eva Copa
J.A.LLALLA.L.P.

The 2021 El Alto municipal election was held on Sunday, 7 March 2021, to elect the mayor and eleven councillors to the El Alto Municipal Council. Incumbent Mayor Soledad Chapetón was eligible to seek a second term but declined for personal reasons. Fourteen fronts (seven civic groups and seven political parties) presented candidates. In the election, Eva Copa of the Jallalla La Paz civic group handily defeated Movement for Socialism nominee Zacarías Maquera and thirteen other candidates with 68.70% of the vote to become El Alto's mayor.

History

Background

In the 2015 municipal elections, the National Unity Front (UN) displaced the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP) from its political stronghold, winning the mayor's office and six of the eleven seats on the Municipal Council; the MAS took four seats and the Sovereignty and Liberty (SOL.bo) civic group won one.[2]

As with all other departmental, provincial, and municipal elected officials, the set term of incumbent Mayor Soledad Chapetón and the Municipal Council was due to expire in mid-2020, completing a five-year mandate started in 2015. However, due to the annulment of the 2019 general election as a result of that year's political crisis and the delay of the rerun elections to October 2020, the terms of subnational authorities were extended by one year.[3]

Political groups and campaigns

Movement for Socialism

Pre-candidates

A total of sixteen individuals appeared on the party's published list of pre-candidates considered for the nomination by the MAS:[4]

  • Wilma Alanoca, former El Alto councillor and minister of cultures
  • Sergio Choque, former deputy and president of the Chamber of Deputies
  • Eva Copa, former senator and president of the Chamber of Senators
  • Emilio Gutiérrez, former constituent of the Constituent Assembly
  • Gerardo Itapullu, union leader
  • Claudio Luna, member of FEJUVE
  • Abel Mamani, former minister of water
  • Rodolfo Mancilla, union leader
  • Zacarías Maquera, former El Alto councillor and acting mayor of El Alto
  • Lucio Marca, former deputy
  • Mabel Monje, former minister of environment and water
  • Rubén Paz, president of FEJUVE
  • Javier Quispe, former deputy mayor of El Alto and former deputy
  • Daniel Ramos, union leader
  • Basilio Villasanti, member of FEJUVE
  • Rudy Luis Alberto Yampa, representative of COREMPAF
Selection process

According to David Apaza, regional president of the MAS in El Alto, retaking control of one of the party's historic strongholds was of vital importance in order to coordinate the city's administration with the government. Within the MAS, pre-candidates seeking the nomination are analyzed and elected by party leaders in conjunction with regional social organizations. No less than twenty-two pre-candidates were put forward for consideration. Among social organizations, union and social leaders such as Emilio Gutiérrez, Gerardo Itapallu, Claudio Luna, Rodolfo Mancilla, Rubén Paz, Daniel Ramos, Basilio Villasanti, and Rudy Luis Alberto Yampa, among others, were those presented. Additionally, former legislators Lucio Marca and Javier Quispe and former ministers Wilma Alanoca and Mabel Monje were considered.[5][6]

Among the main contenders were former senator Eva Copa and former deputy Sergio Choque, each of whom had been presidents of their respective chambers in the outgoing assembly, as well as Zacarías "Ratuki " Maquera, former acting mayor of El Alto, and Abel Mamani, former minister of water.[7] Choque campaigned on his long experience within El Alto, first as a prominent trade unionist in the city and then as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly for one of its districts. He assured that "I know the fourteen districts, I know their demands and I could immediately give answers".[8][9] Mamani, meanwhile, was close to national leaders within the party but failed to garner support from local MAS blocs who accused him of not coordinating with social organizations and presenting his candidacy without support of the bases.[10] The candidates that received the most local support were Copa —especially among younger party members— and Maquera, who was endorsed by various unions.[7]

Finally, on 26 December 2020, MAS leader Rodolfo Machaca announced that, after a series of meetings in El Alto, the party had successfully reached a consensus on its mayoral candidate. Machaca stated that, in the election, the finalists were Wilma Alanoca, Daniel Ramos, Eva Copa, and Zacarías Maquera, and that all of the remaining pre-candidates, with the exception of Copa, who abstained from voting, gave their support for Maquera.[11]

Jallalla La Paz

Two days after the announcement of Maquera as the MAS' candidate, the civic group Jallalla La Paz (J.A.LLALLA.L.P.) of Leopoldo Chui proclaimed Copa as its mayoral candidate.[12] Her choice to present her candidacy under an acronym separate from the MAS resulted in her expulsion from the party shortly after. Such a decision proved to have broadly negative consequences for the MAS. Copa received overwhelming popular support in the city, especially among Alteño youth, who expressed their discontent with the "dinosaurs" that made up the MAS leadership. They broadly supported her pledge to "build a new political project where young people have opportunities to emerge".[13] Discontent with party leadership was a topic echoed by the Great General Headquarters of El Alto, a collection of twenty-one union and social organizations that endorsed Copa's campaign. For union leaders like Bernardo Huanca, the choice of Maquera reflected the "dedazo"[lower-alpha 2] of party boss Evo Morales against the popular will of grassroots organizations in the city.[15]

National Unity Front

In 2019, UN announced its intent to postulate Chapetón for a second mayoral term in the 2020 municipal election.[16] However, by late 2020, Chapetón announced that she would not seek reelection and would take a break from politics entirely due to the fact that she was twenty weeks pregnant.[17] On 25 December 2020, UN proclaimed Henry Contreras, former municipal secretary of Citizen Attention and Governance and one of the major figures of Chapetón's administration, as its mayoral candidate.[18] Contreras ran on a platform focused on combating the health crisis, expanding education by constructing more classroom and financing the university education of outstanding students, and promoting entrepreneurship within the city.[19]

Other political organizations

Ten additional political parties and civic groups presented their own mayoral candidates:

Councilman and formal Municipal Council president Óscar Huanca presented his mayoral candidacy on 7 December 2020.[20] In October 2018, Huanca, together with another El Alto councilwoman and other UN authorities, had split from the party to form the Venceremos civic group.[1] Huanca's campaign presented itself as a native Alteño alternative to the more departmentally or nationally focused parties. Additionally, he pledged that, should he win, he would immediately move to reduce his salary to the national minimum (Bs2,122).[21]

The Christian Democratic Party (PDC) presented the renowned social worker and television personality Fermín Tarquino as its mayoral candidate. However, shortly into the campaign, on 9 January 2021, Tarquino was hospitalized in La Paz after contracting COVID-19. He died from the disease less than a month later, on 26 January.[22] As a result, the PDC sought to recruit Roberto de la Cruz, a former authority of the Regional Workers' Center, though he rejected the offer.[23] The party eventually settled on Abigail Aguilar as its candidate. She ran on decongesting streets through dialogue with drivers' unions and a program aimed at delivering one million cell phones to the city's population.[24]

Additionally, Irene Mamani ran on behalf of Somos Pueblo (PBCSP), the alliance between Rafael Quispe's New Social Option civic group and the Social Democratic Movement. Javier Tarqui, the only incumbent member of the Municipal Council for SOL.bo, ran as the civic group's mayoral candidate. Civic Community (CC) —the country's primary national opposition bloc— postulated Rómulo Venegas, a university professor, as its candidate in conjunction with the civic group Autonomies for Bolivia (APB). Óscar Chirinos and Claudio Lunas, both ex-Masistas, were presented by the Movement for Sovereignty (MPS) and the Patriotic Social Alliance (ASP), respectively. Finally, businessman Hugo Dávalos, professor Pablo Merma, and religious leader Gregorio Condori each ran on behalf of the Front for Victory (FPV), Third System Movement (MTS), and Bolivian National Action Party (PAN-BOL).[25]

Mayoral election

Opinion polling

Poll source Date Copa Maquera Contreras Huanca Mamani PDC[lower-alpha 3] Tarqui Condori Venegas Merma Chirinos Luna Dávalos UI[lower-alpha 4] None
Ciesmori 8 March (exit poll) 66.8% 19.9% 2.2% 2.0% 1.7% 1.4% 1.2% 1.2% 0.9% 0.8% 0.7% 0.6% 0.5% 0.1% N/A
Ciesmori 25 February 74.9% 6.7% 1.0% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.7% 0.0% 0.3% N/A 14.5%[lower-alpha 5]
Focaliza 21 February 72.9% 7.7% 1.1% 1.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% N/A 15.8%[lower-alpha 6]
Ciesmori 15–22 February 87.6% 7.8% 1.1% 1.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.4% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.8% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% N/A
Ciesmori 11 February 76.1% 6.6% 0.3% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 1.0% 0.0% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 14.7%[lower-alpha 7]
Ciesmori 24 January 66.4% 8.5% 0.6% 1.9% 0.9% 1.1% 0.8% 0.4% 0.9% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% N/A

Results

2021 El Alto mayoral election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Eva CopaJallalla La Paz406,70068.70
Zacarías MaqueraMovement for Socialism113,31019.14
Henry ContrerasNational Unity Front12,2132.06
Óscar HuancaVenceremos11,3311.91
Abigail AguilarChristian Democratic Party10,5961.79
Irene MamaniSomos Pueblo[lower-alpha 8]8,8011.49
Javier TarquiSovereignty and Liberty7,4281.25
Rómulo VenegasCivic Community-Autonomies[lower-alpha 9]3,8370.65
Óscar ChirinosMovement for Sovereignty3,4840.59
Hugo DávalosFront for Victory3,4180.58
Pablo MermaThird System Movement3,2250.54
Gregorio CondoriBolivian National Action Party3,2200.54
Claudio LunaPatriotic Social Alliance3,1180.53
Mario ValerianoUnited Invincible[lower-alpha 10]1,3180.22
Total591,999100.00
Valid votes591,99993.34
Invalid/blank votes42,2116.66
Total votes634,210100.00
Registered voters/turnout703,90190.10
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

Municipal Council election

Jallalla won an absolute majority of eight of the eleven seats on the El Alto Municipal Council while the MAS took the remaining three. UN, Venceremos, and SOL.bo lost all representation on the council.[26]

2021 El Alto Municipal Council election
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Jallalla La Paz251,67659.14New8New
Movement for Socialism108,01325.38–10.323–1
National Unity Front11,1572.62–44.240–4
Venceremos10,8802.56New0–2
Sovereignty and Liberty7,9451.87–7.520–1
Somos Pueblo[lower-alpha 8]6,2381.47New0New
Christian Democratic Party5,2501.23New0New
Civic Community-Autonomies[lower-alpha 9]4,3801.03New0New
Movement for Sovereignty4,2120.99–1.5700
Third System Movement4,1540.98New0New
Patriotic Social Alliance3,7120.87–2.0300
Bolivian National Action Party3,0300.71New0New
Front for Victory2,6880.63New0New
United Invincible[lower-alpha 10]2,2200.52New0New
Total425,555100.00–11–
Valid votes425,55567.15
Invalid/blank votes208,19532.85
Total votes633,750100.00
Registered voters/turnout703,90190.03
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 In 2018, two UN councilmen left the party to form Venceremos. As such, the net decrease in seats in this election was four for UN and two for Venceremos.[1]
  2. ↑ Term referring to the unilateral designation of political candidates by the point of a finger of the head of the party regardless of the will of the bases.[14]
  3. ↑ Focaliza: PDC Candidate
    Ciesmori 2–5: Abigail Aguilar
    Ciesmori 1: Fermín Tarquino
  4. ↑ Ciesmori 5: Mario Valeriano
    Ciesmori 2–3: UI Candidate
    Ciesmori 1: Edwin Cazorla
  5. ↑ Blank/None: 2.1%
    Null: 0.8%
    Undecided: 11.6%
  6. ↑ Blank/None: 6.3%
    Null: 3.7%
    Undecided: 5.8%
  7. ↑ Blank/None: 4.7%
    Null: 0.9%
    Undecided: 9.1%
  8. 1 2 Electoral alliance consisting of MDS, NOS, and Suma Escoma.
  9. 1 2 Electoral alliance consisting of APB and CC.
  10. 1 2 Electoral alliance consisting of Libre 21 and MNR.

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 "Agrupación Venceremos reúne a varios opositores". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. EFE. 21 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Escóbar, Luis (30 March 2015). "El MAS pierde su bastión en El Alto y Soledad obtiene un 55%". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Soledad Chapetón declina ir a la reelección por la Alcaldía de El Alto". UNITEL (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Los precandidatos del MAS para la alcaldía de El Alto". El Alto Digital (in Spanish). 22 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Tedesqui Vargas, Luis Marcelo (18 December 2020). "El MAS tiene 22 precandidatos para la Alcaldía de El Alto". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (19 November 2020). "El MAS suma 16 precandidatos en El Alto, oposición aún analiza sus fichas". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (14 December 2020). "Cuatro líderes del MAS compiten en El Alto por la nominación a la Alcaldía". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Choque sobre su candidatura a la alcaldía de El Alto: 'Si el pueblo me lo pide, lo aceptaría'". Urgente.bo (in Spanish). 26 October 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Written at La Paz. "Exdiputado Sergio Choque aspira a ser candidato del MAS a alcalde de El Alto". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. Erbol. 16 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Bloques del MAS desconocen a Abel Mamani como precandidato a la alcaldía de El Alto". Urgente.bo (in Spanish). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "MAS anuncia a Zacarías Maquera como candidato a alcalde de El Alto". Erbol (in Spanish). 26 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Eva Copa es candidata a la Alcaldía de El Alto por Jallalla La Paz: 'Esperé (al MAS) hasta último momento'". UNITEL (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 28 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "El MAS expulsa a la expresidenta del Senado boliviano Eva Copa". Europa Press (in Spanish). Madrid. 1 January 2021. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "Morales niega 'dedazo' en el MAS y atribuye el calificativo a la derecha". Erbol (in Spanish). 27 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "El MAS anuncia a Zacarías Maquera como candidato a alcalde de El Alto; organizaciones sociales insisten con Eva Copa". El Alto Digital (in Spanish). El Alto. 26 December 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  16. ↑ Calle, Esperanza (18 September 2019). "UN busca reelección de Chapetón en las subnacionales 2020". El Alteño (in Spanish). El Alto. Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Chapetón confirma que no buscará la reelección y que espera un bebé". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  18. ↑ "Henry Contreras será el sucesor de Soledad Chapetón; UN lo proclamó candidato a la Alcaldía de El Alto". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  19. ↑ "Conozca las propuestas de Henry Contreras, candidato a la Alcaldía de El Alto". ATB (in Spanish). La Paz. 14 January 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  20. ↑ "Venceremos proclama a Óscar Huanca como candidato a la Alcaldía de El Alto". Urgente.bo (in Spanish). 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  21. ↑ Mamani Lima, Moises Fernando (7 March 2021). "Óscar Huanca, Candidato a Alcaldía alteña por Venceremos, afirma que cumplió con su deber". La Octava (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  22. ↑ Written at La Paz. "Otro candidato a las elecciones subnacionales fallece por covid-19 en Bolivia". Swissinfo (in Spanish). Bern. EFE. 26 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  23. ↑ "PDC invita a Roberto La Cruz para ser candidato a la alcaldía de El Alto". Urgente.bo (in Spanish). 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  24. ↑ "Conozca las propuestas de Abigail Aguilar, candidata a la Alcaldía de El Alto por el PDC". ATB (in Spanish). La Paz. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  25. ↑ "Conozca a los 13 candidatos a alcalde de El Alto". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
    • By candidate:
    Henry Contreras
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (13 February 2021). "'Hemos hecho más obras que Patana'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Óscar Huanca
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (9 February 2021). "'Si me eligen, mi salario será el mínimo nacional'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Irene Mamani
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (10 February 2021). "'Lucharé para que haya un partido para la mujer'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Javier Tarqui
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (10 February 2021). "'Seremos la sorpresa en estas elecciones'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Rómulo Venegas
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (20 February 2021). "'Hoy a los alteños nos ven como una escalera'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Óscar Chirinos
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (18 February 2021). "'El principio del fin del MAS se inició en 2006'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Hugo Dávalos
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (13 February 2021). "'Hay escasez de ofertas en los candidatos'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Pablo Merma
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (18 February 2021). "'El MTS no es de derecha ni izquierda'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Gregorio Condori
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (9 February 2021). "'Debemos jubilar a los candidatos viejos'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
    Claudio Luna
    Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (20 February 2021). "'No tengo militancia, nací en la izquierda'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  26. ↑ "Concejales de El Alto gestión 2021–2026". El Alto Digital (in Spanish). 8 May 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
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