BOLIVIA
Parliamentary Chamber: Cámara de Senadores

ELECTIONS HELD IN 1989

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Chamber:
  Cámara de Senadores


Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

  7 May 1989


Purpose of elections:

  Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.


Background and outcome of elections:

  The 1989 congressional elections were held simultaneously with those for President and Vice-President of the Republic.

Leading contenders among the nine presidential candidates were former President Hugo Banzer Suarez of the right-win Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Mr. Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada of the ruling Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR) and Mr. Jaime Paz Zamora of the Leftist Revolutionary Movement (MIR). Mr. Banzer had placed second in the previous (1985) elections.

The campaign was generally calm and, as usual, ended 48 hours prior to the vote to allow for reflection. The MNR particularly underlined the positive achievements of its new economic policy under outgoing President Victor Paz Estenssero, and called for correspondingly new social doctrines. Altogether 10 political parties fielded congressional candidates.

Polling day was peaceful. As four years earlier, no presidential candidate obtained an absolute majority and, in accordance with the Constitution, final selection from among the three front-runners fell to Congress. Meanwhile, the centre-right MNR edged out ADN and the social-democratic MIR in gaining the most congressional seats. On 5 August, the newly-elected Congress met and chose Mr. Paz Zamora as President. He was inaugurated on 6 August and a new Cabinet was sworn in the same day.

STATISTICS
Round no 1 (7 May 1989): Elections results  
Number of registered electors 2,100,000 (approx.)
Voters 1,573,790 (83%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers 157,921
Valid votes 1,415,869

Round no 1: Distribution of votes  
Political Group Votes* %*
Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR) 363,113 22.98
Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN) – Christian Democratic Party (PDC) 357,298 22.61
Leftist Revolutionary Movement (MIR) 309,033 19.56
Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA) 173,459 10.98
Left Unity (IU) 113,509 7.18
Others 99,457 6.29

Comments:
  * These figures relate to both chambers of the Congreso Nacional

Round no 1: Distribution of seats  
Political Group Total
Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR) 9
Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN) – Christian Democratic Party (PDC) 8
Leftist Revolutionary Movement (MIR) 8
Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA) 2
Left Unity (IU) 0
Others 0

Distribution of seats according to sex:  
Men: 25
Women: 2


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Copyright © 1989 Inter-Parliamentary Union