Government and power in Bolivia

Who leads Bolivia, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary republic (decentralised, with autonomies).

Who leads Bolivia?

• Head of state: Rodrigo Paz Pereira (Presidente Constitucional del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia)
• Head of government: No Prime Minister
• Foreign minister: Héctor Francisco Huanca Gutiérrez (Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Bolivia

Government

• Bolivian State Platform
  Central portal for state services and links to ministries and public bodies.

Parliament

• Chamber of Deputies
  Bills, laws passed, session records and deputy information for the lower chamber of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.
• Chamber of Senators
  Legislative activity, session news and senator information for the upper chamber.

Elections

• Plurinational Electoral Body
  Electoral calendars, official results, voter register information and electoral regulations.

Courts

• Supreme Court of Justice
  Rulings of the Supreme Court in ordinary jurisdiction, jurisprudence and court news.
• Plurinational Constitutional Court
  Constitutional rulings, declarations and case search for Bolivia's constitutional court.

Public audit

• Comptroller General of the State
  Audit reports, public-sector control results and sworn asset declarations.

Ombudsman

• Ombudsman's Office
  Human rights reports, complaint handling information and recommendations to state bodies.

Public contracts

• State Procurement System
  Publishes public tenders, contract awards and procurement plans of state entities.

Government below the national level

• Departments (9): Governor and departmental assembly directly elected for five years; some assembly seats chosen by Indigenous peoples by their own procedures
• Region (1: Gran Chaco, Tarija): Regional assembly elected with municipal councillors; executive appointed by the assembly
• Provinces (112): Sub-governor chosen under departmental rules (OECD describes appointment by the governor)
• Municipalities (about 337) and AIOCs (Indigenous autonomies): Mayor and municipal council directly elected in separate ballots for five years; AIOC authorities chosen by the community's own rules under its statute

How local power works in Bolivia

Places in Bolivia

• All 9 departments
• The 10 largest cities
• Official statistics for Bolivia

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.