Ombudsman's Office of Bolivia

The Ombudsman's Office of Bolivia (Spanish: Defensoría del Pueblo) is an independent governmental institution established by the Constitution, charged with overseeing the fulfillment, protection, and promotion of human rights in the country. The Ombudsman's Office is functionally, financially, and administratively independent of the four branches of Bolivian government. It was established on 22 December 1997 by Law N° 1818,^[1] and is currently regulated by Law N° 870 of 13 December 2016.^[2] Governance scholar Tom Pegram writes that "the Bolivian Ombudsman's Office has been recognized as arguably the most effective state actor in terms of advancing rights and active citizenship".^[3]

Ombudsman's Office

Ombudsman's Office overview
Formed	22 December 1997 (22 December 1997)
Jurisdiction	Bolivia
Ombudsman's Office executive	Pedro Callisaya, Ombudsman
Website	www.defensoria.gob.bo

List of Ombudsmen

The Ombudsman or Defender of the People is the senior officer within the Ombudsman's Office, a post currently held by Pedro Callisaya.

Ombudsman		Votes	Took office	Left office	Term	Ref.
1	Ana María Romero	99	31 March 1998	31 March 2003	1,826	^[4]
–	Carmen Beatriz Ruiz	–	31 March 2003	6 October 2003	189	^[5]
2	Iván Zegada	99	6 October 2003	21 October 2003	15	^[6]
–	Office vacant 21 October 2003 – 18 December 2003				58	^[7]
3	Waldo Albarracín	76	18 December 2003	18 December 2008	1,827	^[8]^[9]
–	Rielma Mencias	–	18 December 2008	13 May 2010	511	^[10]
4	Rolando Villena	113	13 May 2010	13 May 2016	2,193	^[11]^[12]
–	Office vacant 13 May 2016 – 14 May 2016				1
5	David Tezanos Pinto	103	14 May 2016	24 January 2019	985	^[13]
–	Office vacant 24 January 2019 – 30 January 2019				6	^[14]
–	Nadia Cruz	96	30 January 2019	27 September 2022	1,336	^[15]
6	Pedro Callisaya	95	27 September 2022	Incumbent	603	^[16]

References

1. Banzer Suárez, Hugo (22 December 1997). "Ley N° 1818". gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo (in Spanish). Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
2. Morales Ayma, Evo (13 December 2016). "Ley N° 870". gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo (in Spanish). Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
3. Pegram, Tom (2013). "The Bolivian Defensoría Del Pueblo and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights". The Role of National Human Rights Institutions in the Promotion and Protection of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Intersentia Press. SSRN 2095358. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
4. "El Congreso Nacional proclamó a Ana Maria". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 26 March 1998. Retrieved 10 March 2022. El Congreso Nacional proclamó a Ana Maria Romero de Campero como Defensora del Pueblo. Su posesión está prevista para las 18:00 horas del martes 31 de marzo.
5. "Defensores andinos: Romero de Campero paradigma de la defensa de derechos humanos". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 31 March 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2022. La Defensora será reemplazada interinamente por Carmen Beatriz Ruiz […].
6. "El Gobierno ya tiene Defensor, Congreso eligió a Iván Zegada". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
7. "Iván Zegada renunció al Defensor del Pueblo". Bolivia.com (in Spanish). La Paz. 21 October 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
8. "Tras 4 votaciones e incidentes, Albarracín es el Defensor". Bolivia.com (in Spanish). La Paz. La Razón. 12 December 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
9. Written at La Paz. "Defensor concluye su mandato". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Agencia de Noticias Fides. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
10. Written at La Paz. "Ex Defensor se va y asume Rielma Mencias". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
11. "Asamblea posesionó a Rolando Villena como nuevo Defensor del Pueblo". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
12. "24 años de la Defensoría del Pueblo: ¿Quiénes ocuparon ese puesto?". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022. [Rolando] Villena […] fue designado con 113 votos, que superan los dos tercios por siete votos.
13. Written at La Paz. "El MAS elige a Tezanos como nuevo Defensor". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. Agencia de Noticias Fides. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
14. "David Tezanos renuncia al cargo de Defensor del Pueblo". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. Erbol. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
15. "Nadia Cruz es la nueva Defensora del Pueblo, reemplaza a Tezanos". Urgente.bo (in Spanish). La Paz. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
16. Atahuichi, Rubén (27 September 2022). "Designado en la Asamblea, Pedro Callisaya Aro jura como nuevo Defensor del Pueblo". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.