Bolivia · Government
Government and administration in Bolivia
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Executive — President and Vice-President
- Five-year term; the Vice-President presides over the legislature.
- Legislative — Plurinational Legislative Assembly
- Chamber of Deputies (130) and Senate (36), with reserved indigenous seats.
- Judicial — Ordinary, agro-environmental and indigenous jurisdictions
- Equal hierarchy between ordinary and indigenous jurisdiction.
- Electoral — Órgano Electoral Plurinacional
- A fourth branch of equal constitutional rank.
How legislation is made
Bills reach the Assembly from members, the executive, citizens or indigenous nations, and must pass both chambers. The President may observe a bill, and the Assembly insists by two-thirds. Total constitutional reform requires a constituent assembly activated by referendum; partial reform needs a two-thirds Assembly vote confirmed by referendum.
Enforcement institutions
- Ministerio Público
- Directs criminal investigation under the Fiscal General del Estado.
- Policía Boliviana
- National force under the Government Ministry.
- Defensoría del Pueblo
- Ombudsman; may bring constitutional actions.
Government bodies and regulators
- judicialTribunal Constitucional PlurinacionalGuards the Constitution and resolves jurisdictional conflicts.
- judicialConsejo de la MagistraturaAdministers and disciplines the ordinary judiciary.
- independentMinisterio Público de BoliviaDirects criminal investigation and prosecutes offences.
- executiveServicio de Impuestos NacionalesAdministers national taxes.
- executiveDirección General de MigraciónAdministers entry, residence and foreign-national registration.
Found something out of date on Bolivia · Government?
Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.