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Luis Arce

Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (born 28 September 1963) is a Bolivian economist and politician who served as the 67th president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia from 8 November 2020 to 8 November 2025.^[1]^[2] A graduate of the Higher University of San Andrés with a master's degree in economics from the University of Warwick, Arce built his career at the Central Bank of Bolivia before entering government service.^[3]^[4] As Minister of Economy and Public Finances under President Evo Morales, Arce held the position from 2006 to 2017 and briefly from January to November 2019, during which Bolivia experienced robust growth fueled by high commodity prices and nationalizations in key sectors.^[5]^[6] Selected as the Movement for Socialism (MAS) candidate following the 2019 political crisis that ousted Morales amid fraud allegations in that year's election, Arce won the presidency in 2020 with 55% of the vote, restoring MAS to power after an interim administration.^[7] His presidency focused on industrializing Bolivia's natural resources and social programs but faced challenges including internal MAS factionalism with Morales, fuel and foreign exchange shortages, and a failed military mobilization in 2024 that Arce described as a coup attempt.^[6] Arce opted not to seek re-election in 2025, after which MAS lost the presidency to a center-right candidate, marking the end of two decades of socialist governance.^[8]

Early life and education

Family background and upbringing

Luis Arce Catacora was born on September 28, 1963, in La Paz, Bolivia.^[9] He grew up in the capital city during a period of political instability in the country, including multiple military coups and transitions to democracy in the late 1970s and 1980s.^[9] Arce was raised in a middle-class family, with both parents employed as public school teachers, which provided a stable environment emphasizing education.^[9] This background influenced his early exposure to intellectual pursuits, though specific details on family dynamics or siblings remain limited in public records.^[10]

Academic and early professional career

Arce completed his secondary education in La Paz in 1980 before pursuing higher studies in finance and economics.^[11] He graduated as an accountant from the Institute of Banking Education in La Paz in 1984.^[11] Subsequently, he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics from the Higher University of San Andrés (UMSA) in La Paz.^[11] In 1997, Arce earned a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.^[4] Arce commenced his professional career in 1987 at the Central Bank of Bolivia (Banco Central de Bolivia, BCB), where he remained until January 2006, advancing through various roles in economic analysis and policy.^[4] His early work at the BCB focused on monetary policy and financial stability amid Bolivia's economic challenges in the late 1980s and 1990s, including hyperinflation recovery and structural reforms.^[3]

Pre-presidential political roles

Minister of Economy and Public Finance

Luis Arce served as Minister of Economy and Public Finance under President Evo Morales from 2006 to 2017, with a brief return in 2019.^[12]^[11] In this capacity, he implemented policies centered on state control over natural resources to fund social programs and infrastructure.^[13] A cornerstone of Arce's tenure was the nationalization of Bolivia's hydrocarbons sector announced on May 1, 2006, which raised royalties and taxes on foreign companies from 18% to 82% in major fields, channeling increased revenues to the state-owned YPFB.^[14] This policy, executed amid a global commodity boom, boosted hydrocarbon sector income from approximately $173 million in 2005 to over $1.8 billion by 2008, enabling fiscal expansion.^[14] However, it deterred private investment in exploration, contributing to stagnant production levels in subsequent years.^[12] Under Arce's fiscal management, Bolivia experienced robust economic growth averaging around 5% annually from 2006 to 2014, driven by natural gas exports and resource rents, which funded poverty alleviation and public investment.^[12] Poverty rates fell by 42% and extreme poverty by 60% between 2006 and 2019, attributed to redistributive spending on subsidies, bonuses, and social services.^[15] International reserves accumulated to a peak of nearly $15 billion by 2014, reflecting prudent savings from windfall revenues.^[16]^[17] As commodity prices declined after 2014, vulnerabilities in the model surfaced, with reserves halving to $6 billion by 2019 amid persistent public spending and widening fiscal deficits.^[16] Arce's approach emphasized import substitution and state-led industrialization, investing over $8.5 billion in hydrocarbon processing by 2015, but these efforts yielded limited diversification from extractive dependency.^[18] Critics, including investors and economists, argued that the heavy reliance on non-renewable rents without structural reforms sowed seeds for later economic strains, though supporters credit Arce with stabilizing finances during the boom.^[12]^[19]

Economic policies and outcomes under Morales

Luis Arce served as Bolivia's Minister of Economy and Public Finance from May 2006 to July 2017, during which he architected the core elements of President Evo Morales' state-led economic model. Appointed shortly after Morales' inauguration, Arce oversaw the nationalization of the hydrocarbon sector via Supreme Decree 28701 on May 1, 2006, which compelled foreign oil companies to renegotiate contracts with Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), raising the state's share of production revenues from approximately 18% to up to 82% in direct control operations.^[14] ^[20] This policy capitalized on surging global commodity prices, particularly for natural gas, tripling hydrocarbon exports from $780 million in 2005 to $2.5 billion by 2008 and building central bank international reserves to a peak of $15.5 billion by 2014.^[21] Under Arce's stewardship, public investment surged from 8% of GDP in 2005 to over 20% by 2017, funding infrastructure projects, subsidies, and conditional cash transfers such as the Juancito Pinto program for school attendance and the Renta Dignidad universal pension.^[13] These measures, financed by resource rents, contributed to robust macroeconomic performance amid the commodity supercycle: real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 4.8% from 2006 to 2017, outpacing the Latin American regional average.^[22] Poverty metrics improved markedly, with the national poverty rate falling from 60.6% in 2006 to 36.4% by 2017 per World Bank data, and extreme poverty declining by over 60% through redistribution and employment gains in extractive sectors.^[23] ^[24] However, the model's heavy reliance on non-renewable hydrocarbon exports—accounting for up to 30% of GDP and 60% of exports by 2014—exposed vulnerabilities to price volatility and production stagnation.^[14] Arce's administration maintained fixed exchange rates and import subsidies, which preserved purchasing power initially but sowed fiscal imbalances; public spending outpaced revenues post-2014 as gas output plateaued due to limited reinvestment in exploration amid state dominance.^[25] Fiscal deficits emerged around 7% of GDP by 2017, financed by drawing down reserves, while private sector investment contracted under regulatory pressures and nationalizations in mining and other industries.^[16] Critics, including economists from the IMF, argue this extractivist approach hindered diversification, fostering "Dutch disease" effects that appreciated the real exchange rate and undermined manufacturing competitiveness.^[26] Arce defended the framework as a "new economic model" prioritizing sovereignty over foreign capital, though its sustainability waned with the commodity downturn.^[13]

2020 presidential election

Campaign platform and intra-MAS dynamics

Arce's campaign platform for the October 18, 2020, presidential election centered on economic recovery from the instability following the 2019 political crisis, promising to revive the state-directed growth model of the prior MAS governments through nationalization and industrialization of key resources such as lithium, natural gas, and minerals. He outlined 256 specific proposals, with a primary emphasis on generating employment, stabilizing public finances, and sustaining social welfare initiatives like the Renta Dignidad pension and Juancito Pinto educational bonus, while critiquing the interim government's neoliberal adjustments as detrimental to national sovereignty.^[27] The platform also committed to reinforcing the plurinational framework enshrined in the 2009 constitution, advancing indigenous autonomy, and repositioning Bolivia's foreign policy toward integration with like-minded Latin American states while resisting external pressures on resource exploitation. Intra-party dynamics within MAS during the campaign reflected efforts to consolidate unity amid the leadership vacuum caused by Evo Morales' exile in Mexico and Argentina since November 2019. In December 2019, MAS convened to select its ticket, ultimately endorsing Arce—a former economy minister credited with Bolivia's commodity-boom-era fiscal surpluses—as the presidential candidate alongside David Choquehuanca, a former foreign minister representing indigenous and diplomatic continuity, following Morales' explicit backing from abroad.^[28] ^[29] This pairing bridged tensions between the party's cocalero social base, loyal to Morales' agrarian populism, and urban-professional sectors favoring Arce's technocratic expertise to address post-crisis inflation and dollar shortages, averting deeper factionalism that could have benefited opposition coalitions like Comunidad Ciudadana.^[30] The strategy positioned Arce as a pragmatic successor capable of restoring the "Process of Change" without Morales' polarizing presence, contributing to MAS securing 55.1% of the valid votes in the first round.^[31]

Election victory and transition period

The 2020 Bolivian general election occurred on October 18, 2020, with preliminary quick counts on election night indicating that Luis Arce of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) had secured approximately 53% of the presidential vote, surpassing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff against centrist rival Carlos Mesa.^[32] Official results released by the Plurinational Electoral Organ on October 23 confirmed Arce's victory with 55.10% of the vote, while Mesa received 28.83%, marking a decisive win for MAS and restoring the party's control after the 2019 political crisis that led to Evo Morales' resignation and exile.^[33] ^[34] MAS also gained a supermajority in both chambers of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, with 75 of 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 21 of 36 in the Senate.^[35] Carlos Mesa conceded defeat on October 19, acknowledging the results from exit polls and quick counts, which helped de-escalate potential post-election tensions amid lingering suspicions from the annulled 2019 vote.^[29] The interim government under President Jeanine Áñez, which had overseen the election after assuming power in November 2019, accepted the outcome, paving the way for a transition despite ideological divides and Áñez's earlier withdrawal from the presidential race to consolidate opposition votes.^[36] Arce and running mate David Choquehuanca emphasized continuity with Morales-era policies while promising democratic renewal and economic recovery from the COVID-19 downturn during the interim period. The transition from October 18 to inauguration lasted three weeks, during which Arce's team prepared policy blueprints focused on reactivating the economy through state intervention and reversing privatization trends under the Áñez administration.^[37] Tensions arose over the interim government's handling of Morales' return from exile and potential legal actions against MAS figures, but no major violence erupted, contrasting with 2019 unrest. Arce was inaugurated as president on November 8, 2020, in La Paz, receiving the symbols of office from the Legislative Assembly in a ceremony attended by regional leaders, formally ending the interim regime and initiating MAS's return to executive power.^[38]

Presidency (2020–2025)

Inauguration and initial agenda

Luis Arce Catacora was inaugurated as President of Bolivia on November 8, 2020, in La Paz, restoring the rule of the socialist Movement for Socialism (MAS) party one year after the ouster of Evo Morales.^[38] ^[39] The ceremony occurred in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with attendance limited but including thousands of MAS-aligned peasants, union delegates, and indigenous groups gathered outside.^[40] ^[41] Foreign dignitaries from nations including Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, and Spain were present, alongside representatives from Cuba and Venezuela.^[39] ^[42] Vice President David Choquehuanca, an indigenous Aymara leader, was sworn in concurrently, completing the MAS ticket's transition to power.^[41] In his inaugural address, Arce declared the end of "fear" imposed during the interim Jeanine Áñez administration and affirmed that Bolivia had "reclaimed democracy," vowing intolerance for coups or de facto dictatorships in the region.^[43] ^[38] He assumed the mandate with a focus on overcoming the pandemic's health and economic impacts, reactivating production, and generating employment to address the crises inherited from 2019's political turmoil and 2020's lockdowns.^[44] ^[45] Arce emphasized unity across Bolivia's diverse social sectors, pledging to combat corruption, strengthen public institutions, and advance science and technology for national development.^[44] Arce's initial agenda prioritized economic recovery through reactivation of the "process of change" from the Morales era, including industrialization of natural resources like lithium and hydrocarbons to boost exports and state revenues.^[45] ^[43] He committed to reviving dismantled social programs aimed at poverty reduction and indigenous inclusion, while promising to serve only one term to avoid personalistic rule.^[43] Foreign policy efforts focused on rekindling ties with leftist allies, such as re-establishing diplomatic and economic relations with Venezuela and Iran shortly after taking office.^[46] Domestically, early actions included facilitating the return of exiled MAS leaders and addressing immediate health needs amid Bolivia's high COVID-19 mortality rates, though implementation faced challenges from fiscal constraints and internal party tensions.^[47] ^[48]

Domestic policy

Arce's administration pursued a continuation of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) economic model emphasizing state-led development, resource nationalization, and social welfare expansion, but encountered persistent challenges including declining growth, foreign exchange shortages, and fiscal rigidities. Economic growth slowed from 6% in 2021 to projected levels below 2% by 2024 amid falling commodity prices, drought-induced agricultural shortfalls, and failure to diversify exports beyond hydrocarbons and minerals.^[49] The government maintained heavy subsidies on fuel and food, which strained public finances without corresponding productivity gains, leading to a severe dollar scarcity by 2023 that hampered imports and fueled black-market currency trading.^[17] Arce attributed the crisis to external factors like global demand shifts and inherited mismanagement from prior MAS terms, yet refused subsidy cuts or liberalization measures ahead of the 2025 elections, contributing to his approval ratings dropping to around 20%.^[16]^[50] In resource management, Arce prioritized nationalization and industrialization of lithium reserves, declaring it a strategic sector in 2021 with aims to capture 40% of global supply by 2030 through state-owned direct lithium extraction pilots.^[51] Despite announcements of partnerships, including secretive 2023 agreements for pilot plants in the Uyuni salt flats, progress stalled due to technical hurdles, environmental concerns, and insufficient foreign investment under restrictive state control terms, yielding no significant production increases by 2025.^[52]^[53] This approach echoed prior hydrocarbon nationalizations but failed to generate anticipated revenues, exacerbating fiscal deficits without alleviating Bolivia's dependence on raw mineral exports. Social programs under Arce expanded conditional cash transfers and subsidies inherited from Morales-era initiatives like the Juancito Pinto and Renta Dignidad bonuses, with fiscal allocations reaching 5.2% of GDP in 2020 for pandemic relief and poverty alleviation.^[54] Extreme poverty declined modestly from 13.7% in 2020 to 11.1% in 2021, attributed to recovery spending and remittances, though overall poverty metrics stagnated amid inflation and unemployment rises by 2023.^[55] These efforts prioritized indigenous and rural communities but faced criticism for inefficiency and clientelism, with limited impact on structural inequalities as public debt servicing consumed growing budget shares.^[23] Judicial reforms promised by Arce aimed to address institutional weaknesses, including proposals for judge elections and tenure security to curb corruption, but implementation deepened politicization.^[56] The administration leveraged a MAS-dominated legislature and judiciary to pursue cases against opposition figures and rival MAS faction leaders like Evo Morales, including disqualification attempts in 2023-2024, eroding judicial independence and public trust, which polls showed at historic lows.^[57]^[58] This control facilitated executive overreach but intensified intra-party schisms, hindering broader rule-of-law advancements. On security and crime, Arce's policies emphasized community policing and anti-corruption drives, yet homicide rates rose amid urban violence, with Bolivia emerging as a cocaine transit hub due to porous borders and corruption.^[59] Coca cultivation expanded to 31,000 hectares in 2023, a 4% increase from 2022, under expanded legal quotas defended by Arce as cultural patrimony rather than a drug precursor.^[60] The government challenged UN coca bans and promoted industrial uses, but cocaine production estimates reached record highs, with scandals implicating even former anti-narcotics officials in labs.^[61]^[62] Seizures increased modestly, but enforcement weaknesses persisted, linking domestic policy to broader regional trafficking dynamics.^[63]

Economic management and crises

Arce assumed the presidency in November 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and an economy contracting by approximately 8.7% that year, largely due to global lockdowns and prior political instability following the 2019 crisis.^[49] His administration initially prioritized fiscal stimulus, including cash transfers such as the "Bonus against Hunger" totaling 1,000 bolivianos per eligible household to mitigate pandemic effects and boost domestic demand.^[12] Economic growth rebounded to 6.1% in 2021, driven by commodity exports and pent-up demand, but this masked structural vulnerabilities like declining natural gas production, which had peaked under predecessor Evo Morales and fallen by over 50% from 2014 levels by 2023 due to exhausted fields and insufficient investment.^[49]^[64] Arce maintained Morales-era policies of a fixed exchange rate pegged at 6.96 bolivianos per U.S. dollar since 2011, heavy subsidies on imported fuel (costing up to 4% of GDP annually), and state dominance in hydrocarbons, rejecting devaluation or subsidy cuts to avoid social unrest.^[17] These choices preserved short-term stability but depleted foreign reserves from $6.9 billion in 2020 to under $2 billion by mid-2024, as gas export revenues—once covering 50% of dollar inflows—plummeted amid rising domestic consumption and import needs.^[65] Public debt rose to 95% of GDP by 2025, fueled by external borrowing and fiscal deficits averaging 7-8% of GDP, with the government resorting to gold sales and one-off measures to service obligations rather than structural reforms.^[17]^[66] By 2023, dollar scarcity triggered a parallel black market where the boliviano depreciated to over 12 per dollar, crippling imports and sparking shortages of fuel, wheat, and medicines; fuel lines emerged nationwide in late 2024, with subsidized diesel prices at $0.50 per liter failing to incentivize supply amid import costs tripling in dollars.^[67]^[68] Inflation, dormant at under 3% annually through 2022, accelerated to 1.6% GDP growth in 2024 amid 13.23% year-on-year inflation by February 2025, escalating to monthly peaks of 5.2% in June 2025—the highest in 38 years—and annual rates exceeding 24% by August, driven by imported cost pressures and supply disruptions rather than wage spirals.^[69]^[16]^[70] The administration's refusal to liberalize the exchange rate or seek IMF funding—citing ideological opposition to conditionalities—exacerbated the crisis, with Arce instead promoting cryptocurrency remittances and bilateral deals for fuel, though these yielded limited relief.^[65] Growth projections for 2025 hovered near zero, with risks of default absent $1.8 billion in new multilateral loans blocked by parliamentary opposition, underscoring the unsustainability of the model reliant on depleting non-renewable resources without diversification.^[66]^[57]

Resource nationalization and lithium development failures

Upon assuming office in November 2020, President Luis Arce reinforced Bolivia's resource nationalism by prioritizing state control over hydrocarbons and minerals, extending policies initiated under Evo Morales, including the 2006 nationalization of oil and gas that initially boosted revenues but later contributed to declining production and fiscal strains.^[71] By 2024, Arce attributed dollar shortages and reduced hydrocarbon exports to inadequate maintenance of nationalized assets, with natural gas output falling from 18 billion cubic meters annually in 2014 to around 13 billion by 2023, forcing Bolivia to import fuel despite reserves.^[71] This approach emphasized sovereignty over foreign exploitation, yet pragmatic joint ventures with state firms like Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) yielded limited exploration investment due to regulatory uncertainties and low incentives for private partners.^[72] Arce's administration placed particular emphasis on lithium development to diversify the economy, leveraging Bolivia's estimated 21 million metric tons of reserves in the Salar de Uyuni—about 20% of global totals—through the state-owned Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB).^[73] Initial efforts focused on direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology for pilot plants, but production remained negligible: output halted mid-2020 due to COVID-19 and resumed at low levels, yielding only 15 tons of lithium carbonate in 2021 from inefficient evaporation-based pilots inherited from Morales.^[74] ^[75] Subsequent deals, including a 2023 $1 billion agreement with Chinese firms CATL, BRUNP, and CMOC for two plants targeting 50,000 tons annually (scaling to 100,000 by 2028), and partnerships with Russia's Uranium One, faced delays from unproven DLE scalability, high magnesium-to-lithium ratios complicating processing, indigenous community opposition, and insufficient total investment—estimated at $5 billion needed versus secured funding.^[76] ^[77] By late 2025, commercial-scale output had not materialized, contrasting sharply with neighbors Chile and Argentina, which produced over 100,000 tons combined in 2023 via private-led joint ventures, leaving Bolivia without significant lithium revenue to offset economic crises like fuel shortages and inflation.^[74] ^[76] The state-centric model deterred broader foreign expertise and capital, perpetuating technical and governance hurdles that prioritized ideological control over pragmatic industrialization.^[74] The Arce administration maintained and sought to expand Bolivia's existing social safety net programs, primarily inherited from the Evo Morales era, including conditional cash transfers like the Bono Juancito Pinto (providing approximately 200 bolivianos annually per schoolchild to promote attendance) and the Bono Juana Azurduy de Padilla (targeting maternal and child health services). The universal Renta Dignidad pension for those over 60 was sustained at around 350 bolivianos monthly, benefiting over 1 million elderly recipients as of 2021, with adjustments for inflation attempted amid fiscal strain. These initiatives, framed as pillars of the "Process of Change," prioritized redistribution through hydrocarbon revenues, though declining gas exports limited expansions; social spending represented about 10-12% of GDP annually during 2020-2023, but implementation faced delays due to dollar shortages and procurement irregularities.^[23] Poverty metrics under Arce reflected initial post-pandemic stabilization but subsequent stagnation amid economic contraction. Official data from Bolivia's National Institute of Statistics (INE) indicated a national poverty rate of 36% and extreme poverty at 11% in 2021, marginally improved from pandemic highs but unchanged from 2018 levels of around 37% and 15%, respectively. The World Bank corroborated the 2021 figures at 36.3% for moderate poverty, attributing short-term relief to resumed social transfers and partial economic rebound, though international extreme poverty ($2.15/day) hovered at 3.1%. By 2022, INE reported a slight uptick to 37.3% moderate poverty, linked to fuel shortages, 15-20% inflation on food staples, and reduced real wages, exacerbating rural-urban disparities where rural extreme poverty remained over 20%. Independent analyses, including from the BTI Transformation Index, highlighted that while programs mitigated sharper rises, underlying fiscal deficits and import dependencies undermined long-term efficacy, with Gini coefficient inequality steady at 40.9 in 2021 despite earlier MAS-era gains.^[78]^[79]^[23]^[80]

Judiciary reforms and institutional control

Upon assuming office in November 2020, President Luis Arce pledged to reform Bolivia's judiciary, which had been criticized for politicization and inefficiency under prior MAS administrations, including temporary appointments and lack of independence.^[56] ^[81] However, these efforts stalled amid internal MAS party divisions, with no substantive changes implemented to enhance judicial security or merit-based selection by 2024.^[81] Bolivia's judiciary operates under a 2009 constitutional framework unique globally, requiring popular election of high court judges every six years to ostensibly democratize the system, but resulting in heightened politicization as candidates are nominated by legislative assemblies dominated by MAS.^[82] ^[58] Elections originally scheduled for December 2023 were postponed due to congressional impasse, driven by rivalry between Arce's faction and Evo Morales's supporters, allowing interim judges—many MAS-aligned—to remain in place and enabling executive influence over rulings, such as those targeting opposition figures or Morales himself.^[83] ^[84] ^[85] The contest for judicial control intensified as Arce and Morales vied to back rival candidates, transforming the process into a partisan struggle rather than a reform for impartiality, with Arce's allies accusing Morales of seeking to weaponize courts against the government while critics noted the system's inherent bias toward ruling party incumbents.^[83] ^[86] Judicial elections proceeded on December 15, 2024, amid low voter turnout of approximately 23% and widespread apathy, yielding results that further entrenched MAS influence without addressing core independence issues.^[87] ^[88] This outcome perpetuated perceptions of institutional capture, as the elected magistrates' loyalties aligned more with factional politics than legal merit, undermining rule-of-law metrics in international assessments.^[82]^[58]

Security, crime, and coca production

The Arce administration upheld Bolivia's "cato" system of social control for coca cultivation, permitting up to 22,000 hectares for traditional and legal uses while committing to voluntary eradication of excess crops to comply with international agreements.^[89] Despite these measures, independent monitoring by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated persistent growth in illicit cultivation, with the total area under coca rising from 25,500 hectares in 2019 to 31,000 hectares in 2023, exceeding legal limits by approximately 40%.^[90] ^[91] This expansion occurred primarily in the Yungas of La Paz and Tropics of Cochabamba regions, contributing to Bolivia's position as the third-largest coca producer globally and facilitating increased cocaine processing for export.^[92] On drug trafficking, the government intensified operations through the Special Force Against Drug Trafficking (FELCN), achieving record validations for the destruction of seized narcotics, including 84% of illegal drugs confiscated in 2021.^[93] However, Bolivia emerged as a strategic hub for cocaine routes, with traffickers exploiting geographic advantages and reported institutional infiltration by criminal networks.^[61] High-profile cases, such as the 2024 approval for extradition of former anti-narcotics chief René Sanabria to the United States on cocaine smuggling charges, underscored ongoing corruption challenges within security institutions.^[94] General crime trends under Arce showed relative stability compared to regional peers, with intentional homicide rates fluctuating between 3 and 4.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.^[95] Recorded homicides totaled 485 in 2022 and rose to 541 in 2023, before declining to 336 cases in 2024, yielding a rate of approximately 3 per 100,000.^[96] ^[97] Political instability and intra-party conflicts exacerbated urban insecurity, including incidents like the October 2024 confrontation between anti-narcotics patrols and supporters of former President Evo Morales.^[98] Overall, while anti-drug enforcement yielded operational successes, the failure to curb coca expansion and trafficking vulnerabilities highlighted limitations in addressing root causes tied to policy tolerance for excess cultivation.^[63]

Foreign policy

Arce's foreign policy pursued an anti-imperialist orientation rooted in the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) tradition, prioritizing solidarity with leftist governments in Latin America while deepening economic ties with China and Russia to fund resource extraction and infrastructure projects. This approach aimed to diversify Bolivia's partnerships away from traditional Western dependencies, emphasizing multipolarity and sovereignty against perceived U.S. hegemony.^[99]^[59] Upon assuming office in November 2020, Arce swiftly restored full diplomatic relations with Venezuela and Cuba, which had been downgraded or severed during the interim government of Jeanine Áñez following Evo Morales's 2019 resignation.^[100] He pledged to reintegrate Bolivia into the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), attending its XXI summit in Havana on May 27, 2022, alongside leaders from Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.^[101] Arce's government consistently defended Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro against U.S. sanctions and election disputes, with Maduro publicly thanking Arce in March 2025 for condemning U.S. immigration policies targeting Venezuelans.^[102] This alignment extended to rhetorical support for Cuba's sovereignty, highlighted in Arce's August 2025 acknowledgment of congratulations from both nations amid Bolivia's internal elections.^[103] Relations with the United States remained strained, marked by mutual accusations of interference and ideological divergence. Arce's administration inherited tensions from Morales's era, including the 2008 expulsion of the U.S. ambassador and DEA agents, and continued to criticize U.S. policies as interventionist.^[99] In his September 25, 2025, address to the UN General Assembly, Arce accused the U.S. of using the "war on drugs" as a pretext for meddling in Venezuela and labeled U.S. support for Israel as complicit in "genocide."^[104] Bilateral trade persisted at low levels, with U.S. concerns over Bolivia's human rights record, judicial independence, and cooperation on counternarcotics contributing to limited engagement.^[105] Arce advocated reducing dollar dependence through diversified trade, as stated in July 2023, amid Bolivia's foreign exchange shortages.^[106] Bolivia under Arce cultivated deepening economic dependencies on China and Russia, particularly for lithium and natural gas development, as Western firms withdrew due to nationalization risks and regulatory hurdles. Chinese state-owned enterprises secured lithium exploration contracts, with President Xi Jinping and Arce exchanging congratulations in July 2025 on 40 years of bilateral ties, praising mutual respect and Belt and Road alignment.^[107] China provided critical COVID-19 aid and infrastructure loans, though lithium projects advanced slowly due to congressional blocks and technical challenges.^[108]^[109] Similarly, Russia elevated ties to a strategic partnership by October 2024, supplying Sputnik V vaccines in 2020–2021 and exploring investments in hydrocarbons and uranium, with Arce inviting further Russian capital during meetings with Vladimir Putin in June 2024 and October 2024.^[110]^[111] These partnerships filled voids left by declining gas exports to Brazil and Argentina, but exposed Bolivia to geopolitical risks, including sanctioned entities and delayed returns on resource deals.^[99]^[112]

Alignment with authoritarian regimes

Arce's administration has sustained Bolivia's participation in the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), a regional bloc founded by Venezuela and Cuba that includes Nicaragua, emphasizing anti-imperialist solidarity among left-wing governments.^[113] In May 2022, Arce attended the XXI ALBA Summit in Havana, where member states reaffirmed commitments to mutual economic cooperation and opposition to U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba.^[114] The Bolivian government under Arce has provided diplomatic backing to Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro regime, particularly amid contested elections. On July 29, 2024, Arce congratulated Maduro on his re-election victory, despite international concerns over electoral irregularities and opposition claims of fraud.^[115] This support aligns with broader Latin American leftist endorsements of Maduro, contrasting with condemnations from democratic governments in the region.^[113]^[116] Relations with Cuba have involved coordinated foreign policy stances, including joint denunciations of U.S. policies. In July 2025, Bolivian officials alongside Cuban counterparts criticized U.S. measures against Havana, reflecting ideological affinity and Cuba's historical influence on MAS party governance.^[117] Bolivia has hosted Cuban medical brigades and maintained educational exchanges, sustaining ties inherited from the Morales era.^[118] Arce has similarly aligned with Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega administration, participating in forums that bolster Ortega's international legitimacy despite domestic repression. Bolivian support for Ortega includes recognition of his electoral wins and shared participation in anti-Western alliances, contributing to a pattern of endorsing regional authoritarian continuity.^[119] Economic and diplomatic engagements with Russia and China have deepened, including lithium exploration agreements signed in 2023 with Rosatom and Chinese firms, prioritizing state-to-state deals over Western partnerships.^[59] These ties extend to military cooperation with Russia and infrastructure loans from China, fostering dependency on authoritarian creditors amid Bolivia's resource extraction strategies.^[120] Arce's pursuit of BRICS associate status in 2024 further signals strategic alignment with this Moscow-Beijing-led bloc.^[114]

Relations with Western countries

Arce's administration maintained strained relations with the United States, continuing a pattern of tensions established under his predecessor Evo Morales, characterized by mutual expulsions of diplomats and ideological clashes over Bolivian policies on resource sovereignty, coca production, and alignment with non-Western powers.^[121] The U.S. State Department criticized Arce's government in 2024 for anti-democratic actions and erosion of judicial independence, amid Bolivia's deepening economic crisis and internal political conflicts.^[99] In response, Arce frequently accused the U.S. of imperialism, including in a September 25, 2025, speech at the United Nations General Assembly where he charged the U.S. with practicing genocide and using the "war on drugs" as a pretext for intervention in Latin America, such as Venezuela.^[104] These exchanges contributed to frozen bilateral ties, with limited high-level engagement and U.S. concerns over Bolivia's cooperation on counternarcotics, as the country under Arce expanded legal coca cultivation while facing persistent illicit production estimates exceeding 30,000 hectares annually.^[122] Relations with the European Union were comparatively more diplomatic, though limited by Bolivia's pivot toward China and Russia for investment in lithium and energy sectors, which sidelined Western offers for resource partnerships.^[59] The EU congratulated Arce on his 2020 election victory, describing the process as peaceful and credible, and maintained channels for dialogue on trade and development aid, including a projected Forest Alliance in January 2025 focused on Amazon conservation.^[123]^[124] Bilateral ties with individual EU members, such as France, remained friendly, bolstered by a 2021 meeting between Arce and President Emmanuel Macron to discuss economic cooperation, though overall EU-Bolivia trade volumes stagnated at around €1.2 billion annually, with disputes over human rights and environmental standards in mining occasionally surfacing.^[125] Arce's government rejected Western criticisms of its institutional reforms as interference, prioritizing sovereignty in foreign policy formulations.^[126]

Trade dependencies on China and Russia

Bolivia's trade with China expanded under President Luis Arce, with bilateral volumes reaching $2.6 billion in 2023 and $2.73 billion in 2024, marking a 5.4% year-on-year increase in the latter.^[127]^[128] Exports from Bolivia to China totaled $328 million in 2023, mainly raw materials like minerals and agricultural products, while imports—dominated by machinery, electronics, vehicles, and consumer goods—far exceeded this figure, creating a persistent trade deficit that heightened reliance on Chinese financing and supply chains.^[127] In January 2025 alone, Bolivian exports to China surged to $118 million, surpassing historical monthly averages but still underscoring the asymmetry, as China became a primary market for Bolivian commodities amid declining traditional partners like Brazil and Argentina.^[129] This dependency extended to strategic sectors, particularly lithium development, where Arce's administration signed agreements with Chinese firms such as CBC Investments Limited—a subsidiary of battery producer CATL—for constructing production plants and industrializing Bolivia's reserves, estimated at 23 million tons.^[105]^[130] In June 2025, Bolivia secured a $1 billion deal with CBC to fund lithium projects, part of broader efforts to avert debt default amid $13.3 billion in external obligations, though critics noted the contracts' terms favored foreign control over Bolivia's resources.^[130]^[66] China's role as a creditor grew, providing loans for infrastructure like roads and hydropower, which Arce prioritized to address dollar shortages and fuel import needs, but these deepened exposure to Beijing's geopolitical influence without resolving underlying fiscal deficits exceeding 10% of GDP in 2023–2024.^[131] Relations with Russia under Arce emphasized energy and pharmaceutical imports, with key Russian exports including vaccines, medicines, antisera, and refined petroleum products to Bolivia.^[112] Trade discussions at forums like the 2025 BRICS summit focused on investment projects, including Russian assistance for Bolivian hydrocarbon purchases to ease fuel shortages.^[132]^[133] In 2024, Bolivia inked a lithium extraction deal with Russia's Uranium One Group, aiming to leverage Bolivian deposits for joint ventures, though implementation lagged amid technical and political hurdles.^[105] Bilateral ties elevated to a strategic partnership by 2025, with Arce inviting Russian investments in mining and energy to counter Western sanctions' indirect effects on Bolivia's economy, yet trade volumes remained modest compared to China, limited by Russia's focus on pharmaceuticals and fertilizers rather than large-scale imports of Bolivian gas or soy.^[111]^[112] These dependencies reflected Arce's pivot to non-Western partners amid economic isolation from traditional lenders, with China and Russia filling gaps in financing for lithium industrialization and import needs, but they exacerbated vulnerabilities: Bolivia's export reliance on primary goods yielded chronic deficits, while debt accumulation—without parliamentary approval for multilateral loans—risked default by mid-2025, as warned by Arce himself.^[66]^[134] Lithium contracts with both nations drew opposition for opaque terms and potential loss of sovereignty, with incoming administrations signaling intent to renegotiate or scrap them.^[135]^[136]

Internal party conflicts

The rivalry between President Luis Arce and former President Evo Morales fractured Bolivia's ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party, escalating from policy disagreements into a contest for control of its structures and base. Initially, Arce, whom Morales endorsed as his successor in the 2020 elections, governed with Morales' influence intact, but tensions surfaced by mid-2021 over economic policies and Morales' push for an immediate return to power despite constitutional bans on his reelection. By early 2023, the dispute formalized with competing claims to the party's leadership: Arce's faction secured control of official MAS organs through judicial rulings and congresses in Cochabamba, while Morales rallied cocalero (coca growers') unions and rural militants, accusing Arce of neoliberal drift and authoritarian consolidation.^[86]^[137]^[138] The feud intensified in 2024 when Bolivia's Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal ruled Morales ineligible for the 2025 presidential race, citing term-limit precedents from his own era; Morales alleged judicial manipulation by Arce's allies, while Arce's camp emphasized legal consistency to prevent indefinite rule. Parallel MAS congresses proliferated, with Arce's group expelling Morales from the party in October 2023 and Morales denouncing Arce as a "traitor" who sidelined indigenous movements for technocratic governance. This schism eroded MAS cohesion, as Arce retained urban and institutional support but lost sway over Morales' loyalist networks in the Chapare region, leading to dual party apparatuses that paralyzed decision-making on legislation like budget approvals and electoral preparations.^[139]^[140]^[137] Resulting protests by Morales' supporters, beginning with road blockades on September 16, 2024, demanded his candidacy reinstatement and Arce's ouster, clashing with pro-government forces and police in incidents that killed at least four and injured dozens by December 2024. These actions, centered in Morales' strongholds, disrupted fuel and food supplies, exacerbating fuel shortages and inflation amid Bolivia's economic woes, while Arce responded with decrees criminalizing blockades and arrests of Morales-linked leaders. The paralysis extended into 2025, with factional violence undermining MAS's electoral machinery and governance, as evidenced by stalled congressional sessions and fragmented social movement alliances that once unified under Morales.^[141]^[142]^[140]

Feud with Evo Morales

The feud between Bolivian President Luis Arce and former President Evo Morales, once political allies within the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party, originated from tensions over party control and succession following Morales' 2019 resignation amid disputed elections and protests that resulted in 36 deaths.^[142] Arce, who served as Morales' finance minister, secured the presidency in 2020 as the MAS candidate backed by Morales from exile, positioning him as a proxy to restore MAS rule after the interim government.^[142] However, upon Morales' return to Bolivia after the election, disagreements intensified over influence within MAS, particularly regarding judicial reforms and the selection of candidates for the 2025 elections, with Morales seeking a fourth term despite constitutional term limits.^[86] The conflict escalated sharply in October 2023 when Morales' faction convened the 10th MAS congress in Lauca Ñ, Cochabamba, on October 5, declaring the "self-expulsion" of Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca for failing to attend and expelling 20 Arce-aligned deputies.^[143] The congress ratified Morales as MAS president and its 2025 presidential candidate, prompting Arce's camp to challenge its legitimacy in the Constitutional Court, which suspended the gathering and later ruled in December 2023 that Morales was ineligible to run due to indefinite re-election bans.^[143]^[86] Morales dismissed the ruling as "fraudulent" and government-orchestrated, while Arce accused Morales' congressional allies of obstructing legislation in an "economic boycott" to undermine his administration.^[143]^[142] By 2024, the rivalry manifested in competing MAS congresses, such as Arce's attendance at a disputed gathering in El Alto on May 3, which a high court later recognized as legitimate in May, bolstering his faction's position.^[86] Supporters clashed violently, including rock-throwing and tear gas incidents during Morales' 190-kilometer march from Caracollo to La Paz in September 2024, injuring about 40 people, as Morales demanded his electoral eligibility to "save" the country from Arce.^[139] Morales' followers also blockaded roads for two weeks in February 2024, contributing to economic losses, while broader protests over fuel and dollar shortages in May and June 2024 highlighted how the schism stalled governance and deepened institutional divisions within MAS.^[86]^[142]

Resulting political paralysis and protests

The schism within the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) between factions loyal to President Luis Arce and former President Evo Morales generated legislative gridlock, as Morales-aligned lawmakers obstructed Arce's legislative agenda, including bills for external debt issuance and lithium project approvals essential for economic stabilization.^[142] This partisan obstruction, rooted in disputes over party control and 2025 election candidacies, stalled governance and prevented MAS from unifying for primary elections, deepening institutional paralysis amid Bolivia's fiscal crisis.^[137] By mid-2024, the impasse had eroded the party's cohesion, limiting its capacity to mobilize social bases and respond to national challenges.^[137] Morales' supporters escalated protests from late 2023, employing road blockades and marches to demand his eligibility for reelection—despite a 2023 constitutional court ruling against consecutive terms—and to denounce Arce's administration.^[139] A prominent action occurred on September 19, 2024, when clashes erupted during Morales' 190 km march from Caracollo to La Paz, injuring about 40 participants amid rock-throwing and tear gas deployment by counter-protesters.^[139] Further unrest included truckers' roadblocks and tire burnings in June 2024, alongside merchants' 100 km protest trek to La Paz on June 17 over currency shortages, which compounded fuel scarcity and forced multi-day queues at gas stations.^[142] These sustained demonstrations, lasting over two months by December 2024, disrupted supply chains and public order, with police interventions in areas like Mairana highlighting escalating violence.^[141] The protests amplified political instability, diverting resources from policy implementation and accelerating MAS's fragmentation, which by 2025 contributed to the party's electoral setbacks and diminished influence.^[137]^[144]

2024 military coup attempt

On June 26, 2024, units of the Bolivian military, including armored vehicles and approximately 200 soldiers, mobilized in La Paz and attempted to seize the presidential palace, known as the Casa Grande del Pueblo, in what President Luis Arce described as a coup d'état against his government.^[145] ^[146] The operation was led by General Juan José Zúñiga, the army commander whom Arce had dismissed the previous day for insubordination related to threats against former President Evo Morales.^[147] ^[148] Zúñiga positioned tanks to block access to Plaza Murillo and rammed the palace doors, while declaring on state television that the action aimed to "restore democracy" amid economic instability and political divisions within the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party.^[149] ^[146] Arce, confronting Zúñiga directly inside the palace alongside loyal ministers, appointed General José Wilson Sánchez as the new army chief, who promptly ordered the troops to withdraw.^[150] ^[151] The incursion lasted several hours before soldiers retreated without significant violence or casualties, leading to Zúñiga's arrest later that afternoon along with 16 other military personnel and civilians involved.^[152] ^[153] Arce rallied supporters outside the palace, vowing to defend democracy and attributing the plot to unspecified internal and external forces seeking to exploit Bolivia's fuel shortages and foreign currency crisis.^[151] Zúñiga, prior to his detention, cited motivations including Bolivia's deteriorating economy—marked by dollar scarcity, rising inflation, and fuel rationing—as well as the need to free "political prisoners" and address MAS infighting, particularly the Arce-Morales rift over candidate selection for the 2025 elections.^[149] ^[154] However, after his arrest, Zúñiga reversed course, alleging the event was a fabricated "self-coup" orchestrated by Arce to consolidate power and distract from governance failures, a claim echoed by Morales, opposition leaders, and initially by Argentine President Javier Milei before a partial reversal.^[155] ^[156] ^[157] Arce dismissed these accusations as "lies" with no evidentiary basis, emphasizing Zúñiga's independent actions and prior loyalty to the MAS government.^[155] ^[158] In the aftermath, Bolivian authorities initiated judicial proceedings against Zúñiga and co-conspirators on charges of terrorism and sedition, with trials ongoing as of late 2024; Zúñiga faces up to 30 years in prison.^[159] The episode temporarily bolstered Arce's domestic support amid widespread pro-government mobilization, but it underscored Bolivia's institutional fragility, exacerbated by economic pressures and the MAS schism, without resolving underlying tensions.^[150] ^[160] No conclusive evidence has emerged to substantiate staging claims, though skeptics point to the coup's swift collapse and Zúñiga's post-arrest statements as circumstantial indicators of orchestration, contrasting with Arce's narrative of genuine external threats.^[161] ^[162]

2025 election withdrawal and term end

In May 2025, amid declining approval ratings and internal divisions within the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, President Luis Arce announced his withdrawal from the August 17, 2025, presidential election, forgoing a bid for re-election despite constitutional eligibility for a second consecutive term.^[163] Arce cited the need to avoid splitting the leftist vote with his rival Evo Morales, who sought a return to power, and urged Morales to similarly step aside in favor of party unity; Morales rejected the proposal and proceeded with his candidacy.^[164] The decision followed polls showing Arce trailing significantly behind opposition figures, exacerbated by Bolivia's economic woes including fuel shortages, inflation exceeding 5% annually, and foreign reserve depletion.^[165]^[59] The MAS schism, rooted in a prolonged feud between Arce and Morales over party control and policy direction, fragmented the ruling bloc's support base, polling at under 20% combined in pre-election surveys.^[144] This paved the way for opposition gains in the August 17 first-round vote, where centrist Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira of the Revolutionary Left Front secured first place with approximately 28% of the vote, followed by former President Jorge Quiroga at 24%, forcing a runoff on October 19.^[166] Neither Arce nor Morales endorsed a successor effectively, contributing to voter disillusionment amid protests and violence tied to the intra-party conflict, which claimed at least five lives in 2024-2025 clashes.^[144] Paz Pereira won the runoff decisively, marking the first non-MAS presidency since 2005 and ending nearly two decades of socialist governance.^[167] Arce's five-year term, inaugurated on November 8, 2020, concluded with the handover of power on November 8, 2025, in La Paz's Plaza Murillo, amid subdued ceremonies reflecting the outgoing administration's unpopularity—approval ratings hovered below 30% by late 2025 due to unaddressed structural reforms.^[168] The transition highlighted Bolivia's shift toward market-oriented policies, with the new government pledging dollarization and subsidy cuts to address a fiscal deficit surpassing 8% of GDP.^[17] Arce departed office without major legal impediments at the time, though lingering investigations into corruption allegations from his tenure persisted.^[169]

Post-presidency activities

Transition to new administration

Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator and son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, won Bolivia's presidential runoff election on October 19, 2025, with 54% of the vote against conservative rival Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, marking the end of nearly 20 years of uninterrupted rule by the leftist Movement for Socialism (MAS) party under Evo Morales and Luis Arce.^[170]^[171] The first-round general election on August 17, 2025, had produced no outright winner, necessitating the runoff amid voter disillusionment with MAS's internal divisions and economic mismanagement, including fuel shortages, inflation exceeding 5% annually, and depleted foreign reserves.^[172]^[173] The presidential transition process commenced immediately after the election results were certified, with Arce's administration coordinating directly with Paz's incoming team to facilitate a orderly handover of power.^[174] Paz emphasized institutional continuity and economic stabilization in initial transition meetings, pledging to address Bolivia's fiscal deficits—estimated at 8.9% of GDP in 2025—through pro-market reforms while avoiding abrupt nationalizations.^[59] Unlike the contentious 2020 transition following Morales's exile, which involved interim governance under Jeanine Áñez amid protests and fraud allegations, the 2025 shift proceeded without reported violence or legal disputes, reflecting Arce's decision not to seek reelection amid approval ratings below 30% and party schisms with Morales.^[175]^[176] Paz's inauguration is set for November 8, 2025, at the Casa Grande del Pueblo in La Paz, succeeding Arce's five-year term that began on November 8, 2020.^[177] During the transition period, focus areas included briefing on lithium extraction contracts—Bolivia holds over 20% of global reserves but produced less than 0.1% commercially under Arce—and foreign debt obligations totaling $12 billion, primarily to China and Russia.^[178] Arce's outgoing cabinet committed to delivering comprehensive policy dossiers, though critics from MAS factions alleged delays in releasing full economic data to obscure inherited liabilities.^[179] Paz, in turn, signaled intentions to diversify trade away from over-reliance on Beijing and Moscow, which accounted for 40% of Bolivia's exports in 2024.^[180]

Ongoing influence and legal challenges

Following the MAS party's defeat in the August 17, 2025, general elections and subsequent October 19 runoff, where center-right candidate Rodrigo Paz Pereira secured victory with promises of market-oriented reforms, Arce's influence as an outgoing president has waned significantly.^[167] The fracture between Arce's faction and Evo Morales' supporters, exacerbated by Arce's May 15, 2025, withdrawal from the presidential candidacy amid declining support and economic crises including fuel shortages and currency scarcity, contributed to the party's collapse and loss of legislative majorities.^[165] ^[59] As Bolivia transitions to non-MAS governance for the first time since 2005, Arce retains nominal leadership over remnants of his MAS splinter group but lacks the institutional leverage to shape policy, with analysts noting the end of the MAS era's dominance in indigenous and leftist mobilization.^[181] Arce faces renewed legal scrutiny in the Fondo Indígena corruption scandal, involving alleged embezzlement of approximately $40 million from the Indigenous Development Fund between 2010 and 2015, during his tenure as Minister of Public Works.^[182] The case, originally investigated under the 2019-2020 interim government, was reactivated in October 2025 by former viceminister Rafael Quispe, who demanded Arce's summons as an implicated party for purported economic damage; however, the Public Ministry suspended his required declaration on October 22, 2025.^[183] Separately, on September 9, 2025, Arce became subject to a paternity lawsuit filed by a woman alleging he fathered her child in 2023 and denied responsibility, seeking child support and recognition.^[184] These proceedings occur against a backdrop of broader corruption probes in MAS-linked institutions, though no convictions against Arce have been secured as of October 2025.^[185]

Personal life

Family and relationships

Arce was born on September 28, 1963, in La Paz, Bolivia, to Carlos Arce Gonzales and Olga Catacora, both public school teachers who raised him in a middle-class household.^[186] He was previously married to Jéssica Mosqueira, with whom he has three children: Luis Marcelo Arce Mosqueira, Rafael Ernesto Arce Mosqueira, and Camila Daniela Arce Mosqueira.^[187]^[188] Arce's eldest son, Luis Marcelo, was detained by Bolivian police on October 16, 2025, following a complaint of gender-based violence filed by his former partner.^[187] His son Rafael Ernesto, aged 25 as of 2025, acquired a large rural property known as "Adán y Eva" for approximately USD 3.3 million in 2023, raising questions about the funding sources amid Bolivia's economic constraints.^[188] Arce is currently married to economist Lourdes Brígida Durán Romero, who has served as Bolivia's First Lady since his inauguration on November 8, 2020; no children have been reported from this marriage.^[189]^[184] In September 2025, Arce faced a paternity lawsuit alleging he fathered an additional child outside his recognized family, though details remain contested and unresolved as of his term's end.^[184]

Health and public image

Arce was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in June 2017 while serving as Minister of Economy, prompting his resignation to undergo treatment in Brazil, where he received surgery and subsequent care that led to remission by 2019.^[13] He returned to public life thereafter, and in December 2020, following his presidential inauguration, a routine checkup in Brazil confirmed the cancer remained in remission with no recurrence detected.^[190] Rumors of acute health episodes, such as a claimed preinfarction in July 2024, were publicly denied by government officials, who affirmed his good health.^[191] In August 2025, Arce planned a medical control visit to Brazil, which allies described as precautionary, though former President Evo Morales dismissed it as a pretext amid political tensions.^[192] Publicly, Arce initially benefited from his reputation as a pragmatic economist instrumental in Bolivia's commodity-driven growth during the 2006–2019 Morales era, which reduced poverty and expanded social programs through state-led resource nationalization.^[193] However, his image deteriorated amid escalating economic challenges, including fuel and foreign exchange shortages, high inflation, and slowed GDP growth post-2020, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and global commodity price fluctuations.^[49] Approval ratings plummeted, reaching just 9% by late 2024 according to the Latinobarómetro survey, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with governance amid internal Movement for Socialism (MAS) divisions and perceived policy failures.^[194] This unpopularity contributed to his May 2025 decision to withdraw from the presidential race, citing slumping polls and a desire to avoid further left-wing fragmentation.^[163]^[165] Arce's portrayal in Bolivian media and opposition circles often highlights his technocratic style as a contrast to Morales' indigenous populism, yet critics attribute his declining stature to over-reliance on ideological continuity without adapting to fiscal constraints.^[86]

Electoral history

[Electoral history - no content]

Publications

Authored books

Luis Arce Catacora authored El modelo económico social comunitario productivo boliviano, published in 2015 by Soipa in La Paz, Bolivia. The 425-page volume details the foundational principles of the economic framework implemented by Bolivia's Movement for Socialism (MAS) administration since 2006, emphasizing state-led resource management, social equity, and community productive initiatives as alternatives to prior neoliberal policies.^[195] In 2023, Arce published Un modelo económico justo y exitoso: La economía boliviana, 2006-2019 through Fondo de Cultura Económica. This work provides a comparative analysis of Bolivia's economic policies from the 1985 neoliberal shock therapy era through the MAS period, arguing that the post-2006 model achieved sustained growth, poverty reduction, and fiscal stability via resource nationalization and public investment, while critiquing predecessor approaches for exacerbating inequality and external dependence.^[196] Arce presented the book at the La Paz International Book Fair on August 12, 2023, highlighting empirical data on GDP expansion and social indicators under the model he helped design as minister of economy.^[197]

Key articles and economic writings

Arce's economic writings primarily focus on macroeconomic policy, monetary issues, and the theoretical underpinnings of Bolivia's post-neoliberal development model, often drawing from Post-Keynesian frameworks and emphasizing state intervention in demand management.^[198] His contributions appear in specialized Bolivian economic journals and research series affiliated with public institutions, reflecting his roles in central banking and public finance.^[199] A notable early article, "Incertidumbre y dolarización en Bolivia," published in 2001 in the Revista de Análisis of the Central Bank of Bolivia (Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 31–56), analyzes the risks of economic uncertainty under dollarization, advocating for policy measures to mitigate volatility in a partially dollarized economy. In 2015, Arce co-authored "Mathematic formalization of the economic social communitarian productive model" with David Quiroz Sillo for the Bolivian Economic Research Papers (Vol. 1, No. 1), offering a formal mathematical representation of Bolivia's Economic Social Communitarian Productive Model (MESCP) introduced in 2006, which integrates social, communal, and productive elements to prioritize domestic resource mobilization over external dependency.^[199] The paper formalizes key variables such as investment, consumption, and state-led redistribution to demonstrate potential for endogenous growth.^[200] Another significant piece, co-authored with Quiroz Sillo and José Alberto Villegas Gómez in the 2016 Bolivian Economic Research Papers (Vol. 1, No. 2), titled "Can aggregate demand policies bring about economic growth in the long run? A Post Keynesian view for Bolivia," contends that sustained expansion requires active fiscal and monetary stimuli to boost effective demand, critiquing supply-side constraints and applying Kaleckian models calibrated to Bolivian data for empirical validation.^[201] These works underscore Arce's advocacy for heterodox policies prioritizing public investment and income distribution to achieve long-term stability.^[4]

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[37]
Luis Arce presumed winner of Bolivia presidential election - Al Jazeera
Oct 19, 2020 · Rival concedes as Evo Morales's party celebrates big comeback that could further polarise the nation.
[38]
Bolivia's Luis Arce sworn in as president as socialists return to power
Nov 8, 2020 · Bolivia's Luis Arce was inaugurated as President on Sunday, capping a tumultuous period for the Andean nation and ushering the socialists back ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[39]
Bolivia's Arce sworn in as socialists return to power after turbulent year
Nov 9, 2020 · Arce, 57, was inaugurated in a ceremony in the highland city of La Paz, in front of heads of state from Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia and Spain, ...
[40]
Luis Arce Sworn in as President of Bolivia - Left Voice
Nov 9, 2020 · Luis Arce Catacora was sworn in as president of Bolivia on Sunday, accompanied by thousands of peasants and union delegations.Missing: date | Show results with:date
[41]
Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca take office in Bolivia
Nov 9, 2020 · Luis Arce of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) was sworn in as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia on November 8.Missing: date | Show results with:date
[42]
Luis Arce sworn in as Bolivia's president - Anadolu Ajansı
Nov 9, 2020 · Luis Arce was sworn in as Bolivia's new president Sunday, bringing to a close a turbulent period characterized by political and social turmoil.
[43]
Bolivia's new leftwing president: 'We have reclaimed democracy'
Nov 8, 2020 · Bolivia's new president, Luis Arce, has vowed to rebuild his country's battered economy, revive ties with leftwing neighbours and serve one term ...
[44]
New President and Vice President Address People of Bolivia
Nov 14, 2020 · President Luis Arce's inaugural address and the speech of Vice President David Choquehuanca delivered at the Plurinational Legislative Assembly on November 8.
[45]
Bolivia | Reflections on the Inaugural Addresses of President Luis ...
Nov 16, 2020 · In these notes, we outline some very brief reflections based on the inaugural speeches that Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca delivered on November 8, 2020.
[46]
New Bolivia president puts re-establishing ties with Iran top of his ...
Nov 13, 2020 · Socialist President Luis Arce added he also wanted to re-connect with Venezuela, which already boasts economic ties with Iran. On Wednesday, ...
[47]
Luis Arce Sworn In as New Bolivian President, as Supporters Await ...
Nov 9, 2020 · In Bolivia, former President Evo Morales is expected to reenter the country this morning following the inauguration of new President Luis ...Missing: initial agenda
[48]
[PDF] Bolivia after the 2020 General Elections
Nov 9, 2020 · On 8 November Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca took office as the new president and vice-president of Bolivia, respectively.Missing: platform | Show results with:platform
[49]
Bolivia's Catastrophic Stalemate - Wilson Center
Oct 18, 2024 · Arce also inherited an economy in decline. Economic growth has fallen from 6% in 2021, a healthy recovery from the pandemic, to a projected ...Missing: Minister tenure
[50]
https://en.mercopress.com/2024/09/10/bolivian-president-explains-the-reasons-behind-the-current-crisis
[51]
The world needs lithium. Can Bolivia's new president deliver it?
Nov 12, 2020 · The new president called for massively ramping up Bolivia's lithium production capacity in order to supply 40 percent of the global market by 2030.Missing: nationalization outcomes<|separator|>
[52]
Bolivia's Secret Lithium Agreements - Laregion.bo
Oct 6, 2025 · On the morning of January 20, 2023, an enthusiastic President Luis Arce announced the dawn of Bolivia's lithium industrialization era.
[53]
[PDF] Resource Nationalism and Lithium Extraction in Bolivia
Bolivia owns some of the largest lithium reserves in the world, yet its ability to capitalize on this resource has been hindered by several factors, including ...
[54]
[PDF] Bolivia After the 2019 Coup: Economic Policy - Cepr.net
Jun 23, 2021 · This paper looks at the economy of Bolivia during the de facto government that took power following a military coup in November of 2019 and ...Missing: tenure | Show results with:tenure
[55]
Politics and Poverty Reduction in Bolivia - The Borgen Project
Sep 12, 2022 · President Luis Arce's government has seen a reduction in the extreme poverty rate from 13.7% to 11.1% in 2021, suggesting the economy might ...
[56]
Will Luis Arce Rebuild Bolivia's Broken Judiciary?
Nov 25, 2020 · Arce should also initiate much-needed reforms to ensure judges and prosecutors have job security and clear rules for appointments, transfers, ...
[57]
Bolivia's political chaos puts economy at risk - GIS Reports
Jan 23, 2025 · Currency shortages, inflation and dwindling gas sales weigh on the economy ... The Arce-Morales rivalry has deepened Bolivia's troubles, delaying ...
[58]
Justice by Vote? Lessons for Mexico from Bolivia's Judicial Elections
Nov 14, 2024 · While framed as a democratic reform, the election of judges could intensify political interference and erode public confidence in the judiciary.
[59]
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/what-bolivias-move-to-the-center-means-for-its-economy-foreign-policy-and-security/
[60]
Bolivia's Election Could Reshape Coca Policy - InSight Crime
Aug 15, 2025 · Bolivia's coca cultivation reached 31,000 hectares in 2023, up 4 percent from 2022, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( ...
[61]
Bolivia has become a 'strategic hub' for cocaine trafficking - Le Monde
Jan 20, 2024 · Bolivia has become a 'strategic hub' for cocaine trafficking · The war between Evo Morales and Luis Arce · Microlaboratories and clandestine theft.
[62]
Bolivian President Arce declares "coca is not cocaine" as country ...
Jan 13, 2025 · Bolivian President Luis Arce reaffirmed the nation's commitment to the legal uses of coca leaf, claiming that "it is not cocaine."
[63]
Bolivia's New President Faces Complex Drug Scenario - InSight Crime
Nov 11, 2020 · Throughout the whole of 2019, the anti-drug unit seized just over nine tons of cocaine paste and around six-and-a-half tons of cocaine ...
[64]
Bolivia's crisis: a dollar shortage, surging inflation and sinking gas ...
Bolivia is in the midst of an economic and political crisis. Declining natural-gas production has crippled the country's ability to earn dollars.
[65]
Coup Survivor Arce Charts Exit From Bolivia's Financial Crisis
Sep 16, 2024 · Amid the dollar shortage, Arce is advising Bolivians sending money abroad to use crypto currencies rather than scarce greenbacks.
[66]
Bolivia risks debt default without new funding: president to AFP
Jun 19, 2025 · Arce has been unable to convince parliament to allow him to seek new loans to the tune of $1.8 billion from multilateral agencies. Advertising.
[67]
'Everything is expensive!' Bolivia faces a shocking economic collapse
Nov 28, 2024 · Across what was once South America's second-largest producer of natural gas, everyone is searching for fuel.
[68]
No bread, no fuel, no dollars: how Bolivia went from boom to bust
Aug 11, 2025 · The dollar has doubled in value against the local boliviano in less than a year, which is in turn fuelling annual inflation of 24.8 percent, the ...
[69]
Arce's COLD leadership amid Bolivia's political and economic crisis
Mar 29, 2025 · Answer: Arce's economic policies have failed to improve the economy while Morales' resurgence hinders his administration's ability to govern ...
[70]
Bolivia Inflation Soars to 34-Year High Ahead of August Election
Jul 2, 2025 · Bolivia's inflation rate has reached its fastest in over three ... President Luis Arce's approval rating has slumped to 7.4%, according ...Missing: 2020-2025 | Show results with:2020-2025
[71]
Luis Arce blames Evo Morales' administration for causing dollar ...
Sep 9, 2024 · ... nationalization of hydrocarbons on May 1, 2006 was "neglected." He gave as an example that oil production that year reached 15 million ...
[72]
BOLIVIA: Resource nationalism in rhetoric only as Arce looks east
Bolivia's President Luis Arce declared on 6 August that the country's natural resources are “threatened by external ambitions”, claiming that foreign powers ...Missing: nationalization | Show results with:nationalization
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[74]
The lithium curse: why Bolivia has failed to turn minerals into gold
May 30, 2022 · Bolivia has failed to turn minerals into gold. Bolivians thought green energy would make them richer. Now locals worry they'll be exploited again.
[75]
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[76]
Can Lithium Save Bolivia's Economy? - Forbes
May 1, 2023 · Bolivia has a plan to tap its lithium reserves, but faces political and technological challenges to scale production.Missing: outcomes | Show results with:outcomes
[77]
Bolivian communities push back against foreign-backed lithium ...
Apr 17, 2025 · The projects with Uranium One and CBC will only extract 1.64% of the region's known lithium reserves, leaving room for more future projects.Missing: outcomes | Show results with:outcomes
[78]
World Report 2024: Bolivia | Human Rights Watch
Official data showed that some 36 percent of Bolivians fell below the national poverty line and 11 percent were considered in extreme poverty as of 2021, ...
[79]
Bolivia - Poverty and Inequality Platform - World Bank
% of population. Poverty Rate at $0.05 a Day (2021 PPP). 0% ; % of population. Poverty Rate at National Poverty Line(s). 36.50% ; % of population.
[80]
Bolivia | New Internationalist
Apr 30, 2024 · The past two decades have seen a major reduction in inequality. The Gini index was 40.9 in 2021, as compared with 61.6 in 2000. Literacy. At 94% ...<|separator|>
[81]
Can Bolivian Courts Render Impartial Justice?
While Arce announced reforms to the justice system soon after his inauguration, the process is now stalled.
[82]
Bolivia Is a Warning for Mexico's Judicial Reform - Americas Quarterly
Sep 10, 2024 · Electing judges has undermined Bolivia's justice system's legitimacy and independence—and weakened the country's rule of law.
[83]
Arce and Morales Are Now Battling for Control of Bolivia's Courts
Jun 18, 2024 · Bolivia is the only country in the world that elects its top judges by popular vote—but the judicial elections that should have taken place in ...
[84]
Bolivia - August 2023 | The Global State of Democracy
An impasse in Congress has prevented the call for judicial elections in Bolivia, which means that incumbent officials serving on the Supreme Tribunal, ...
[85]
The Leftist Experiment in Bolivia Nears Its End - Global Americans
Nov 21, 2024 · President Luis Arce, Morales's former ally and now one of his fiercest rivals, is accused of pushing for this judicial outcome against Morales.
[86]
In Bolivia, an “Intense” Battle Between Arce and Morales
May 30, 2024 · The struggle between President Arce and Evo Morales for control of the MAS party is consuming national politics and jeopardizing the economy.Missing: nationalization | Show results with:nationalization
[87]
Bolivia holds divisive popular vote for its top judges - VOA
Dec 15, 2024 · Campaigning for Sunday's judicial election may be strictly forbidden, but look closer on the streets of Bolivia's capital, La Paz, ...
[88]
Bolivia's divisive popular vote for senior judges offers lessons for ...
Dec 15, 2024 · Bolivia is the only country in the world that holds elections for top judicial posts. Soon Mexico will, too, after former President Andrés ...
[89]
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1. PREVALENCE OF DRUG USE (TABLES) 1.1 Prevalence of drug use in the general population – regional and global estimates 1.2 Prevalence of drug use in the ...
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[PDF] Fact Sheet – Bolivia Coca Cultivation Monitoring Report, 2023
The UNODC has reported 31,000 ha of coca crops in Bolivia following a methodology adjusted and approved by Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme (ICMP) based in ...Missing: 2019-2023 | Show results with:2019-2023
[91]
The 2019 UNODC monitoring report shows an increase in coca ...
The 2019 UNODC monitoring report shows an increase in coca cultivation in Bolivia. La Paz/Vienna, 29 July 2020 – In 2019, coca ... The area under cultivation has effectively increased by 2,400 hectares (ha) from 23,100 ha in 2018 to 25,500 ha in 2019.
[92]
Bolivia's Coca Cultivation Climbs 4% in 2023 Tests Government
Feb 19, 2025 · The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports Bolivia's coca cultivation jumped 4% in 2023, hitting 31,000 hectares.
[93]
UNODC Bolivia Final Report on Destruction of Drugs Seized in 2021
UNODC validated the destruction of 84% of the total amount of illegal drugs seized in Bolivia in 2021, the highest percentage of drugs validation since the ...Missing: outcomes | Show results with:outcomes
[94]
Bolivia's top court says its former anti-drug chief can be extradited to ...
Nov 27, 2024 · But he returned in 2020 under the government of President Luis Arce, Morales' former economy minister. ... cocaine trafficking charges. From ...
[95]
Intentional homicides (per 100000 people) - World Bank Open Data
Bolivia. 2023. 4. Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2023. 1. Botswana. 2021. 11. Brazil. 2023. 19. British Virgin Islands. 2006. 8. Brunei Darussalam. 2013. 0. Bulgaria.
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[97]
InSight Crime's 2024 Homicide Round-Up
Feb 26, 2025 · Bolivia* (-17.6%) In 2024, Bolivia's homicide rate was 3 per 100,000 inhabitants. The country recorded 336 “crimes against life” (“delitos ...Missing: 2020-2024 | Show results with:2020-2024
[98]
Bolivia government says ex-President Morales fired upon anti ...
Oct 28, 2024 · ... trade and tariff news. Sign up here. Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo said during a press conference that the FELCN anti-drug trafficking ...
[99]
Bolivia: Country Overview and U.S. Relations - EveryCRSReport.com
Aug 16, 2024 · President Arce has selected Russian and Chinese companies to help develop Bolivia's natural gas and lithium deposits and has sought to increase ...
[100]
Arce will restore Bolivia's relations with Cuba and Venezuela
Oct 21, 2020 · Bolivia's elected president Luis Arce said that he would carry out a foreign policy of restoration of relationships with Venezuela, Cuba, and ...Missing: alignment | Show results with:alignment
[101]
Bolivia's Arce warns may not attend Summit of the Americas | AP News
May 11, 2022 · The U.S. has imposed sanctions on all three countries and does not even recognize Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro as the country's legal leader.
[102]
President Maduro thanks Luis Arce for condemning U.S. immigration ...
Mar 27, 2025 · President Maduro thanks Luis Arce for condemning U.S. immigration policies against Venezuelans. March 27, 2025 · Radio Habana Cuba. FacebookMissing: alignment | Show results with:alignment
[103]
Bolivia's Arce highlights congratulations from Cuba and Venezuela
Aug 8, 2025 · Referring to Cuba, Arce wrote on his X profile that this “brave nation shares our history of struggle for dignity, sovereignty, and self- ...
[104]
Bolivian president accuses US and Israel of 'practicing genocide'
Sep 25, 2025 · Luis Arce says US 'war on drugs' pretext for intervention in Venezuela to control the region's natural resources - Anadolu Ajansı.Missing: anti- outcomes
[105]
2025 Investment Climate Statements: Bolivia - State Department
... Luis Arce favors a “social communitarian productive economic ... In the period following the election of Evo Morales in 2006, the Bolivian government nationalized ...
[106]
Bolivian president rebukes curbs imposed by US financial system
Jul 4, 2023 · "It is necessary to reduce dependence on the US dollar and diversify our economic and trade relations," said Bolivian President Luis Arce.<|control11|><|separator|>
[107]
Xi, Bolivian president exchange congratulations on 40th anniversary ...
Jul 10, 2025 · For his part, Arce noted that over the past 40 years, Bolivia and China have established a solid bilateral relationship based on mutual respect ...
[108]
Xi Jinping Meets with Bolivian President Luis Arce
Nov 19, 2024 · Hailing the profound brotherly friendship between Bolivia and China, Luis Arce expressed gratitude to China for helping Bolivia overcome the ...
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https://www.reuters.com/world/china/bolivias-new-president-rekindles-cautious-hope-long-stalled-lithium-dreams-2025-10-21/
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Meeting with President of Bolivia Luis Alberto Arce Catacora
Oct 24, 2024 · Russian-Bolivian cooperation is based on the solid traditions of friendship and mutual respect. Our bilateral ties are developing consistently ...Missing: relations | Show results with:relations
[111]
Russia-Bolivia relations reach level of strategic partnership - TASS
According to Arce, Bolivia is still looking forward to an inflow of Russian investment. "We have invited Russia to invest <...> so that Russia and Latin America ...
[112]
Russia, Bolivia Bilateral Relations: October 2025 Update
Oct 1, 2025 · The main products that Russia currently exports to Bolivia are vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures, medicines, and refined petroleum.
[113]
Explainer: The Latin American Left Reacts to Venezuela's Electoral ...
Aug 23, 2024 · The democratic left's approach to Venezuela's crisis is characterized by cautious diplomacy, aiming for a peaceful resolution while avoiding deepening the ...
[114]
Why Are Latin American Dictators Seeking Membership in BRICS+?
Oct 28, 2024 · CSIS Americas Program experts unpack the recent BRICS+ Summit and how rising interest among authoritarian and semi-authoritarian governments ...
[115]
President of Bolivia congratulates Maduro for winning the elections
Jul 29, 2024 · ... Luis Arce, congratulated the people of Venezuela for the electoral victory that guaranteed the re-election of his counterpart, Nicolás Maduro.<|separator|>
[116]
Bolivia and US Dilemmas in Engaging with Problematic Regimes in ...
Sep 12, 2024 · ... Luis Arce regarding the country's economic and political difficulties and its relationship with the United States. Their fundamental question
[117]
Cuba appreciates Nicaragua and Bolivia's denunciations of US ...
Jul 2, 2025 · Through the social media platform X, the foreign minister expressed his gratitude to co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, as well ...
[118]
Bolivia and US Dilemmas in Engaging with Problematic Regimes in ...
Sep 11, 2024 · Morales and Arce are locked in a struggle for control over the MAS, with a series of Congresses, each held under questionable conditions, ...
[119]
The Bolivian Left's Self-Destructive Path - COHA
Aug 18, 2025 · “Evo Morales and Luis Arce Catacora dedicated themselves to squandering and exhausting in three years all the strength accumulated over decades ...
[120]
AFPI Staff Observe August Presidential Elections in Bolivia | Memo
Sep 8, 2025 · Under Evo Morales, Bolivia cut ties with the U.S., kicked out the DEA and U.S. ambassadors, and aligned itself with Russia, China, and Iran ...
[121]
[PDF] Bolivia: Country Overview and U.S. Relations - Congress.gov
Oct 21, 2024 · continued under current President Luis Arce, elected in. October 2020 after the resignation of populist President Evo. Morales (2006-2019) ...Missing: crime rates
[122]
Bolivia and US Dilemmas in Engaging with Problematic Regimes in ...
Sep 12, 2024 · I recently had the opportunity to engage with a senior Bolivian colleague connected with the government of Luis Arce regarding the country's ...
[123]
Bolivia: High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell ... - EEAS
High Representative/Vice-President Borrell congratulated Luis Arce for his election in the context of peaceful, transparent and credible elections. The High ...
[124]
Luis Arce - CGTN Europe on X
Jan 30, 2025 · An important milestone was the projection of a Forest Alliance between Bolivia and the EU, focused on the protection of forests and the Amazon.
[125]
France and Bolivia - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Aug 9, 2024 · France and Bolivia maintain friendly relations, strengthened by the first meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and President Luis Arce ...<|separator|>
[126]
Amid Crisis in La Paz, Could 2025 See a Thaw in US-Bolivia ...
Jan 17, 2025 · A deep economic crisis under President Luis Arce will likely lead to political change following the August elections. Better ties would bring rewards to both ...
[127]
Bolivian exports to China reach $328 million in 2023
Feb 12, 2024 · According to official Chinese statistics, bilateral trade reached $2.6 billion in 2023, with imports from Bolivia totaling $1.5 billion and ...
[128]
China a formidable market for Latin American countries amid US ...
May 6, 2025 · In 2024, China-Bolivia bilateral trade reached $2.73 billion, up 5.4 percent year-on-year, according to China's General Administration of ...
[129]
Bolivia eyes diversified markets - World - Chinadaily.com.cn
Jun 13, 2025 · In January, Bolivia's total exports to China reached $118 million, far surpassing the long-term average of $22.9 million from January 1999 to ...Missing: volume dependencies 2020-2025
[130]
Bolivia Risks Debt Default Without New Funding, Says President
Jun 19, 2025 · Bolivia said Tuesday it had signed a $1 billion deal with China's CBC, a subsidiary of the world's largest lithium battery producer CATL, to ...Missing: external | Show results with:external
[131]
Bolivia Risks Default Without New Funding, Warns President Arce
Jun 19, 2025 · The fiscal deficit surpassed 10 percent of GDP in 2023 and 2024, driven by falling hydrocarbon revenues, increased social spending, and higher ...
[132]
Russia, Bolivia discuss investment projects, trade at BRICS summit
Jul 7, 2025 · Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Bolivian President Luis Arce on Monday in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS summit.
[133]
Bolivian president says Russia agreed to help buy 'liquid hydrocarbon'
Bolivian president says Russia agreed to help buy 'liquid hydrocarbon'. Luis Arce said he also discussed the lithium project that is being implemented in ...Missing: dependence | Show results with:dependence
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Bolivia could default without new financing, according to president ...
Jun 18, 2025 · Arce, who has been in power since 2020, hasn't been able to get Parliament to approve international loans he requested from multilateral ...
[135]
Bolivia candidate vows to scrap China, Russia lithium deals - RFI
Aug 25, 2025 · In 2023 and 2024 Arce's government signed deals with Russia's Uranium One and China's CBC, a subsidiary of battery manufacturer CATL, to extract ...Missing: key | Show results with:key
[136]
Bolivia candidate vows to scrap China, Russia lithium deals
Aug 25, 2025 · In 2023 and 2024 Arce's government signed deals with Russia's Uranium One and China's CBC, a subsidiary of battery manufacturer CATL, to extract ...
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Why Bolivia's MAS Collapsed | Journal of Democracy
Evo Morales's Movement Toward Socialism transformed Bolivian politics. But after almost two decades in power, the party is unraveling.Missing: control | Show results with:control
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Power struggle in the MAS party in Bolivia - The Red Herald
Jan 31, 2024 · The Movement to Socialism of Bolivia is living an internal power struggle between Evo Morales, and Luis Arce.
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Bolivia: protest march by ex-president's supporters reflects split at ...
Sep 22, 2024 · Evo Morales leads thousands of followers to La Paz to 'save' country from his handpicked successor turned rival.Missing: conflicts | Show results with:conflicts
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Dec 15, 2024 · Protests in Bolivia triggered by a feud between the president and a political rival have caused turmoil. One fallout: fuel shortages that have left drivers ...
[142]
Bitter political fight in Bolivia is paralyzing the government as unrest ...
Jun 22, 2024 · Morales' allies in Bolivia's Congress have consistently thwarted Arce's attempts to take on debt that would relieve the pressure. Bolivia sits ...
[143]
Evo Morales' party expels President Luis Arce and deepens political ...
Oct 5, 2023 · The former head of government shows his strength in a party congress with his faithful in the midst of his fight with Arce for the ...Missing: conflict split
[144]
Bolivia braces for tense elections as ruling party implodes - ACLED
The dispute between Evo Morales and current President Luis Arce has triggered deadly violence in defense of Morales' cause, which signals the power of his ...
[145]
Bolivia coup attempt fails as military flees government palace - NPR
Jun 26, 2024 · Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt, but President Luis Arce vowed to stand firm.
[146]
What triggered the coup attempt in Bolivia? - AP News
Jun 26, 2024 · Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt against President Luis Arce.
[147]
Bolivian police arrest leader of apparent coup attempt - BBC
Jun 27, 2024 · Gen Zúñiga's exact motivations for launching the coup remain unclear. On Monday he vowed to arrest Mr Morales if he ran for office again next ...
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Can Bolivia Ever Escape the Coup Trap? | Journal of Democracy
The day before Zúñiga launched his failed coup, Arce had sacked him for threatening to block Morales from running in the next election. The ...
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Jun 27, 2024 · President Arce from the left-wing Movement for Socialism (MAS) party has hailed the failed coup bid, calling it a victory for Bolivia's ...<|separator|>
[150]
Bolivia's President Arce finds new strength after seeing off military ...
Jun 29, 2024 · Face-to-face he ordered the general to stand down, and hours later as support for the coup disintegrated the soldiers pulled back. Zuniga and ...
[151]
Bolivia's president sees off attempted coup after urging citizens to ...
Jun 26, 2024 · Flanked by members of his cabinet, Arce declared: “We cannot allow, once again, attempted coups to claim Bolivian lives.” “Long live the people ...
[152]
Bolivia's General Zuniga arrested for coup attempt | Reuters
Jun 26, 2024 · Bolivian authorities arrested General Juan Jose Zuniga on Wednesday afternoon, a Reuters witness saw, hours after troops stormed into the ...<|separator|>
[153]
17 people arrested in attempted coup that shook Bolivia ... - The Hindu
Jun 28, 2024 · Some Bolivians said they believed Gen. Zúñiga's allegations on national TV that the coup attempt was a hoax. “They are playing with the ...
[154]
Future Center - What are the motives behind Bolivia's thwarted coup?
Jul 10, 2024 · Various motives are behind Zúñiga's coup attempt, which can be outlined as follows: 1- Worsening economic and living conditions: Some ...
[155]
Bolivia's president lambasts accusations of a self-coup as 'lies' as ...
Jun 27, 2024 · Bolivian President Luis Arce has denied being behind an attempted coup against him and said the general who apparently led it “acted on his ...
[156]
Bolivian president faces more accusations of staging 'self-coup ...
Jun 30, 2024 · Former President Evo Morales on Sunday accused his political ally-turned-rival President Luis Arce of deceiving Bolivians by staging a “self-coup” last week.Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
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Bolivia's president accused of plotting coup against himself to boost ...
Jun 29, 2024 · On Thursday, Arce strongly denied accusations that he was behind the attempted coup, saying: “We are never going to authorise weapons to be ...
[158]
Bolivian President Luis Arce denounces 'self-coup' claims as lies
Jun 28, 2024 · Following a failed coup attempt, Bolivian President Luis Arce slammed the accusations that he orchestrated it himself, stating that the general ...
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Bolivian general arrested and accused of coup after dramatic ... - CNN
Jun 26, 2024 · A Bolivian general has been arrested and accused of mounting a coup against the government after attempting to storm the presidential palace on Wednesday.
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Divided Opinions After Failed Coup Underscore Bolivia's Political ...
Aug 6, 2024 · To date, efforts to harness Bolivia's potential for lithium production have failed for various reasons, including technical challenges and local ...
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A week after an alleged coup attempt in Bolivia, confusion and ...
Jul 4, 2024 · Before being hauled off to jail, Zúñiga claimed his mutiny was a hoax concocted by President Arce to deflect attention from a spiraling economy ...
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Bolivia's President Confronts a Coup Attempt - The New York Times
Jun 29, 2024 · Mr. Arce's government has said there is no evidence to back up this claim, and has denied it. Carlos Mesa, a former president and a leader of ...<|separator|>
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Bolivia's President Arce, polls slipping, quits 2025 presidential race
May 13, 2025 · Bolivia's President Luis Arce, who assumed office in 2020 and was expected to seek a second term, says he will withdraw from Bolivia's ...
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Bolivia's Arce withdraws from election, asking Morales to drop out
May 14, 2025 · Bolivian President Luis Arce announced that he would not seek reelection in the upcoming August 17 election and challenged former President Evo Morales to also ...<|separator|>
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Incumbent Luis Arce quits Bolivia's presidential race amid slumping ...
May 15, 2025 · On Wednesday, incumbent President Luis Arce announced he would abandon his bid for re-election after a five-year term defined by turmoil.
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Bolivia set to elect first non-left wing president in two decades - BBC
Aug 17, 2025 · Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira and former president Jorge Quiroga came in first and second place respectively in Sunday's presidential elections.
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Two decades of leftwing dominance end in Bolivia as rightwingers ...
Aug 17, 2025 · Bolivia's presidential election will go to a runoff for the first time, with two rightwing candidates competing for the presidency – marking ...
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Millones sin Fondo: El programa indígena que no benefició a los ...
Una revisión de los recursos del Fondo de Desarrollo Indígena revela que ha gastado casi 1.000 millones de dólares.
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Reactivan proceso contra Luis Arce por presunto daño económico ...
El proceso judicial contra el presidente Luis Arce Catacora ha sido reactivado por el presunto delito de daño económico en el caso del Fondo ...
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Bolivia: Arce faces paternity lawsuit - MercoPress
Sep 9, 2025 · The plaintiff claims that she informed President Arce, 61, that she was pregnant with his child, but he “denied paternity” and “left us ...
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Fondo indígena | Últimas noticias Opinión Bolivia
Ministerio público suspende declaración de Luis Arce por el caso Fondo Indígena ... 22 de octubre de 2025. Paz define el uso de Casa Grande del Pueblo ...
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Quién es Luis Arce, el economista convertido en presidente
Jun 27, 2024 · Sus padres son Carlos Arce Gonzales y Olga Catacora, ambos maestros de la enseñanza pública, quienes educaron Arce en un ambiente de clase ...
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Detenido el hijo del presidente de Bolivia, Luis Arce, por ... - EL PAÍS
Oct 16, 2025 · Detenido el hijo del presidente de Bolivia, Luis Arce, por una denuncia de violencia de género. Marcelo Arce Mosqueira fue acusado por su ...
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Las Tierras Del Hijo Del Presidente - Connectas
A sus 25 años el hijo menor del presidente de Bolivia, Luis Arce Catacora, compró la propiedad “Adán y Eva” por USD 3,3 millones, ubicada en un lugar ...
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Lourdes Brigida Durán Romero - World First Ladies -
May 4, 2025 · Lourdes Brígida Durán Romero is a Bolivian economist and the First Lady of Bolivia, known for her professional background in finance.
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Presidente de Bolivia supera chequeo médico por cáncer
Dec 15, 2020 · El presidente boliviano Luis Arce “salió bien” de un control rutinario que se realizó en Brasil por un cáncer de riñón que superó hace dos ...
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Viceministra de Comunicación desmiente que el presidente Luis ...
Jul 30, 2024 · ... Luis Arce haya sufrido un preinfarto, como aseveró un diputado "evista". Aseguró que el mandatario goza de buena salud. Juana F. Bernal ...
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Aug 23, 2025 · El Jefe de Estado saliente planea viajar en octubre a Brasil para realizarse un control médico. Morales, atento, no cree en sus motivos.
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Luis Arce: Bolivia's new president credited for its socialist growth ...
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El Modelo Económico Social Comunitario Productivo Boliviano
El Modelo Económico Social Comunitario Productivo Boliviano. Por: Arce Catacora Luis Alberto . Tipo de material: TextoEditor: La Paz, Bolivia : Soipa ...
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Un modelo económico justo y exitoso. La economía boliviana, 2006 ...
Luis Alberto Arce Catacora presenta un análisis comparativo de las distintas políticas económicas que ha tenido el país desde 1985, cuando se instauró el modelo ...
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Arce defiende en un libro modelo económico que se aplica en ...
Aug 14, 2023 · El mandatario presentó "Un modelo económico justo y exitoso. La economía boliviana 2006-2019", y los comentarios estuvieron a cargo del profesor ...
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Luis Alberto Arce Catacora - IDEAS/RePEc
Luis Alberto Arce Catacora: current contact information and listing of economic research of this author provided by RePEc/IDEAS.
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[PDF] BOLIVIAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH PAPERS, 2015, Vol 1(1)
David Quiroz Sillo and Luis Arce Catacora*. ABSTRACT. The purpose of this work is to mathematically formalize the Economic Social Communitarian. Productive ...
[200]
Mathematic formalization of the economic social communitarian ...
Mathematic formalization of the economic social communitarian productive model. David Quiroz Sillo and Luis Arce Catacora. Year of publication: 2015.
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[PDF] BOLIVIAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH PAPERS, 2016, Vol 1(2)
Luis Alberto Arce Catacora, David Quiroz Sillo and José Alberto Villegas Gómez *. ABSTRACT. Can aggregate demand policies bring about economic growth in the ...