Government of Luis Arce, 2020–present

Luis Arce assumed office as the 67th President of Bolivia on 8 November 2020. He formed his ministerial cabinet the following day on 9 November.[1]

Presidency of Luis Arce
8 November 2020 – present
PartyMAS-IPSP
SeatCasa Grande del Pueblo
Bolivia
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Cabinet Ministers

Cabinet of Bolivia
Presidency of Luis Arce, 2020–present
Office Name Party Term Prof.
President Luis Arce MAS-IPSP 8 November 2020 – present Eco.
Vice President David Choquehuanca[lower-alpha 1] MAS-IPSP 8 November 2020 – present Dip.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Worship
(Chancellor)		 Rogelio Mayta MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present Law.
Minister of the Presidency María Nela Prada[lower-alpha 2] MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present Dip.
Minister of Government Carlos del Castillo MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present Law.
Minister of Defense Edmundo Novillo MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present Law.
Attorney General Wilfredo Chávez MAS-IPSP 12 November 2020 – present Law.
Minister of Economy
and Public Finance		 Marcelo Alejandro Gómez García MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Development
Planning		 Felima Gabriela Mendoza MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Hydrocarbons
and Energies		 Franklin Molina Ortiz MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Productive
Development and
the Plural Economy		 Néstor Huanca Chura MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Public Works,
Services, and Housing		 Edgar Montaño MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present Eng.
Minister of Mining
and Metallurgy		 Ramiro Félix Villavicencio

Niño de Guzmán

 MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Justice
and Institutional
Transparency		 Iván Lima MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present Law.
Minister of Health
and Sports		 Édgar Pozo Valdivia MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – 16 January 2021 Dr.
Jeyson Marcos Auza Pinto MAS-IPSP 16 January 2021 – present –
Minister of Environment
and Water		 Juan Santos Cruz MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Education Adrián Quelca Tarqui MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – present –
Minister of Rural Development
and Land		 Wilson Cáceres Cárdenas MAS-IPSP 9 November 2020 – 1 December 2020 –
Edwin Ronald Characayo MAS-IPSP 1 December 2020 – present Agr.
Minister of Cultures, Decolonization,
and Depatriarchalization		 Sabina Orellana MAS-IPSP 20 November 2020 – present Uni.

Composition

Luis Arce appointed his cabinet the day after taking office on 9 November 2020.[1] At the inauguration of the new cabinet ministers, Arce stated that "Bolivia has several challenges. We had to create a cabinet up to the challenges." Among the ministers were María Nela Prada, the first woman to head the Ministry of Government.[4] Other notable appointees were Minister of Defense Edmundo Novillo, who had previously served as Governor of Cochabamba, and Wilfredo Chávez, who had been Minister of Government during the administration of Evo Morales.

On 1 December 2020, Minister for Rural Development and Land Wilson Cáceres was dismissed under accusations of nepotism for appointing his partner, who he had introduced as his wife in August, and her brother in high positions within the ministry as well as instructing leading managers to "make their positions available." Cáceres was indeed married, but to another woman. He first denied the relationship, then apologized for his actions. He was replaced by agronomist Edwin Characayo with Arce publicly stressing the need for his team to show "values, ethics and morality" and to be "committed to their profession."[5]

Reinstated ministries

Arce's cabinet initially received criticism from indigenous leaders such as Felipe Quispe due to its lack of indigenous representation.[6] However, on 20 November Arce reinstated the Ministry of Cultures which had been merged with the Ministry of Education by the interim Jeanine Áñez administration the previous June. As part of this, the office was renamed from Ministry of Cultures and Tourism to Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization with the expanded task of combating "inequality between nationalities, as well as between men and women."[7] Sabina Orellana, of Quechua origin, was appointed to head the position, thus adding one indigenous representative to the cabinet.[8]

COVID-19 outbreak
See also: COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia

In the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia, an outbreak within the cabinet began when it was announced on 28 December that Minister of Defense Edmundo Novillo had contracted the virus. He was followed shortly thereafter by Chancellor Rogelio Mayta on 4 January 2021[9] Minister of Public Works Edgar Montaño became the third cabinet minister to contract the virus on 11 January 2021.[10] On 15 January, Minister of Health Édgar Pozo Valdivia tested positive.[11] Pozo, age 70, was forced to resign as a result due to his advanced age.[12] He was replaced as Minister of Health by Jeyson Marcos Auza Pinto.[13]

Notes
  1. Acting President from 13 December to 15 December 2021[2]
  2. Acting Foreign Minister from 4 January to 28 January 2021[3]

References
  1. "Arce posesiona a su nuevo gabinete". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 9 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  2. "David Choquehuanca asume la presidencia hasta mañana". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. Bolivia, Opinión. "Prada: "El viejo Estado arrojó gobiernos que expresaban intereses de minorías con la cabeza en el extranjero"". Opinión Bolivia (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. "María Nela Prada, la primera mujer que es ministra de la Presidencia". La Razón | Noticias de Bolivia y el Mundo. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. "Luis Arce dismisses Cáceres and asks his team for ethics and morals". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). 2 December 2020.
  6. Pereyra, Omar. "El Mallku se decepciona del Gobierno y critica que no haya indígenas en el gabinete". eju.tv (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  7. "Se crea el Ministerio de Culturas, Descolonización y Despatriarcalización, para promover la cultura y revertir las desigualdades". Viceministerio de Comunicación - Bolivia (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. "Bolivia | Sabina Orellana, mujer quechua, es la nueva Ministra de Culturas, Descolonización y Despatriarcalización". NODAL (in Spanish). 20 November 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  9. "Bolivia's top diplomat tests positive for COVID-19 - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  10. Bolivia, Opinión. "Ministro Montaño da positivo a la COVID-19 y el Gabinete de Arce suma tres casos". Opinión Bolivia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  11. de 2021, Por Newsroom Infobae15 de Enero. "El ministro de Salud de Bolivia da positivo a la covid-19". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  12. de 2021, Por Newsroom Infobae15 de Enero. "El ministro de Salud de Bolivia da positivo a la covid-19". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  13. "Arce posesiona a Yeyson Marco Auza como nuevo ministro de Salud". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 January 2021.
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