Who runs local government in Bolivia?

Bolivia's 2009 constitution creates four kinds of 'autonomy': departments, municipalities, a region, and Indigenous Originary Peasant Autonomies (AIOC) that govern themselves by their own customs. Most people are governed by elected departmental governors and municipal mayors, but a small and growing number of Indigenous territories have turned themselves into self-governing units with traditional authorities recognised by the electoral body. In rural Andean areas, ayllus (kin-based communities) and peasant unions have long organised daily life alongside the state.

Plurinational State of Bolivia · Unitary republic (decentralised, with autonomies) · South America

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Departments (9)	Governor and departmental assembly directly elected for five years; some assembly seats chosen by Indigenous peoples by their own procedures	Regional roads, rural electrification, departmental health and development planning.
Region (1: Gran Chaco, Tarija)	Regional assembly elected with municipal councillors; executive appointed by the assembly	Planning and management across several municipalities.
Provinces (112)	Sub-governor chosen under departmental rules (OECD describes appointment by the governor)	Administrative units of the department, not self-governing.
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	Local services, school buildings, health posts, local roads; AIOCs hold municipal-level powers plus Indigenous self-government.

Three questions about local power in Bolivia

Are local leaders elected?

Governors, departmental assemblies, mayors and municipal councils are directly elected. Some departmental assembly members and all AIOC authorities are chosen by Indigenous procedures (assemblies, rotation, consensus) rather than secret ballot. Neighbourhood council leaders are chosen by residents.

Which laws set up local government?

All autonomies, Indigenous justice and OTBs are in the constitution or law. Ayllu authorities outside an AIOC are recognised as community authorities but mostly work through custom. Peasant unions are private organisations with strong informal power.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Elected officials answer to voters, courts and the electoral tribunal; the constitution allows recall referendums. AIOC authorities answer to their community assembly under their statute and must respect the constitution. Community authorities face community sanction and rotation.

Traditional and customary authority

The constitution (Art. 2, Arts. 289–296) recognises the right of 'Indigenous originary peasant nations and peoples' to self-government. A municipality or Indigenous territory can become an AIOC through a referendum or consultation, then approve its own statute. The electoral body (OEP) lists Charagua Iyambae, Raqaypampa and Uru Chipaya as the first three AIOC governments; by 2022 Salinas de Garci Mendoza and Kereimba Iyambae had followed, and in January 2022 the Jatun Ayllu Yura in Potosí received credentials for its 4 kurakas, 4 mama t'allas and 1 jilaqata, chosen 'according to their norms and customs'. Elsewhere, ayllus in the highlands keep traditional authorities (such as jilaqata or mallku) who hold rotating posts, organise communal work and settle local disputes. Indigenous justice has the same rank as ordinary courts (Art. 179), but a 2010 law (Law 073) limits it to minor matters and excludes serious crimes.

Community and neighbourhood power

The 1994 Popular Participation Law gave legal recognition to Territorial Base Organisations (OTBs): neighbourhood councils (juntas vecinales), peasant communities and Indigenous communities, which monitored municipal spending. Today 'social control' over public bodies is set out in Law 341 (2013). In cities, neighbourhood councils are federated (for example the FEJUVE of El Alto), and in the countryside peasant unions (sindicatos campesinos) often act as the community's government. These bodies can be powerful political actors, able to organise road blockades and negotiate directly with ministers.

Points to know

Becoming an AIOC is slow: a community needs proof of ancestry and unity, a referendum on access, and a second vote on its statute; Charagua Iyambae, the first, was formed in 2017.
In Jatun Ayllu Yura the leaders serve two-year terms, as set by its statute, rather than the five-year terms of ordinary mayors.
Many highland authorities are held by couples (husband and wife together), an idea called chacha-warmi.
Bolivia has only one 'region' so far: Gran Chaco in Tarija, approved by referendum in 2009.

Local terms

AIOC: Autonomía Indígena Originaria Campesina: an Indigenous territory that governs itself under its own statute.
Ayllu: A traditional Andean community based on kinship and shared land.
Jilaqata / kuraka: Traditional ayllu authorities, usually serving a rotating term.
OTB: Organización Territorial de Base: a legally recognised neighbourhood or rural community organisation.

Sources

Bolivia (Plurinational State of)'s Constitution of 2009, Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Country profile: Bolivia, OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, checked 14 October 2026
Charagua, Raqaypampa y Uru Chipaya conforman los primeros tres autogobiernos indígenas de Bolivia, Órgano Electoral Plurinacional (Fuente Directa), checked 14 October 2026
El gobierno de la Autonomía Originaria del Jatun Ayllu Yura recibe credenciales (7 January 2022), Órgano Electoral Plurinacional (Fuente Directa), checked 14 October 2026
Autonomía Indígena y mujeres: Jatun Ayllu Yura (Observatorio de Paridad Democrática, 2022), Órgano Electoral Plurinacional, checked 14 October 2026