At stake in this election:

• 27 seats in the Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze *
• Head of Government: President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze
• Assembly: Bolivia has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of the Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) with 27 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) with 130 seats.

* President Eduardo RODRIGUEZ Veltze has been in office since June 9, 2005 following the resignation of Carlos Diego MESA Gisbert; the latter became president after elected president Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA resigned in October 2003.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores) 27 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados), 68 members are elected from districts to serve 5-year terms and 62 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Movement toward Socialism / Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS)
  Leader: Juan Evo MORALES AIMA
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 12
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: 8
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 72
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 27
• Party: Poder Democrático y Social (PODEMOS)
  Leader: Jorge Tuto QUIROGA RAMIREZ
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 13
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: N/A
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 43
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A
• Party: National Unity Front / Frente de Unidad Nacional (UN)
  Leader: Samuel Jorge DORIA MEDINA AUZA
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 1
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: N/A
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 8
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A
• Party: Revolutionary Nationalist Movement / Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR)
  Leader: Mirtha QUEVEDO ACALINOVIC
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 1
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: 11
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 7
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 36
• Party: Indigenous Pachakuti Movement / Movimiento Indígena Pachakuti (MIP)
  Leader: Felipe QUISPE HUANCA
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: 0
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 6
• Party: New Republican Force / Nueva Fuerza Republicana (NFR)
  Leader: N/A
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: 2
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: 25
• Party: Agrarian Patriotic Front of Bolivia / Frente Patriótico Agropecuario de Bolivia (FREPAB)
  Leader: N/A
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: N/A
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A
• Party: Workers' Social Union of Bolivia / Union Social de los Trabajadores de Bolivia (USTB)
  Leader: Nestor GARCIA ROJAS
  Seats won in this Chamber of Senators election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Senators election: N/A
  Seats won in this Chamber of Deputies election: 0
  Seats won in last Chamber of Deputies election: N/A

Last Legislative election:

• Elections for the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies were last held on June 30, 2002.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,857,870 (2005 est.)
• Registered Voters: 3,671,152 (December 2005)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 4,550,478 (2005)

·         Is Bolivia a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (30 May 1980)

·         Has Bolivia ratified CEDAW: Yes (8 June 1990)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 22 (National Congress); 1 (Chamber of Senators) (following 2005 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 119

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low

Disability Data:

·         Is Bolivia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (13 August 2007)

·         Has Bolivia ratified CRPD: Yes (16 November 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,328,680 (est.)