Fernando Campero Paz (born 20 March 1953) is a Bolivian economist and politician who served as substitute senator for Tarija from 2015 to 2020. He previously served as general manager of the Central Bank of Bolivia and the Bolivian Stock Exchange during the administration of Jaime Paz Zamora.

Fernando Campero
Headshot of Fernando Campero
Official portrait, 2015
Substitute Senator for Tarija
In office
23 January 2015 – 3 November 2020
SenatorMirtha Arce
Preceded byDora Burgos
Succeeded byLuis Casso
Personal details
Born
Fernando Campero Paz

(1953-03-20) 20 March 1953 (age 71)
Tarija, Bolivia
Political partyNational Unity Front (2009–present)
Other political
affiliations
Alma materBolivian Catholic University
Occupation
  • Economist
  • politician
SignatureCursive signature in ink

Born into the prominent Paz family of Tarija, Campero was raised in a highly politicized environment, closely connected to the happenings in the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, the party of his uncle, Víctor Paz Estenssoro. Sympathetic to leftist currents, Campero split from his family's party in favor of the Revolutionary Left Movement, serving in the Paz Zamora administration as general manager of the country's Central Bank and Stock Exchange.

Following a long political retirement, Campero returned to the electoral scene in 2009, seeking a seat in the Chamber of Deputies on behalf of the National Unity Front. Though unsuccessful in that endeavor, he remained active within the party's ranks, serving as its regional leader in Tarija. He saw more electoral success in the next cycle, winning a seat as a substitute senator in 2014.

Early life and career

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Early life and education

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Fernando Campero was born on 20 March 1953 in Tarija,[1] the youngest of four siblings born to Raúl Campero Trigo, a Chaco War veteran, and Alina Paz Estenssoro,[2][3] daughter of Tarija Senator Domingo Paz Rojas.[4] Campero was raised in a deeply political family, entrenched within the party structure of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR)—the dominant political force at the time of his birth. His father was head of the party in Tarija, while on his mother's side, Campero was the nephew of Víctor Paz Estenssoro, the MNR's historic leader and founder, then serving his first of four eventual terms as president of the republic.[5][6]

Campero and his siblings spent their early childhoods in Barcelona, where their father had been designated consul.[7] He studied political economics in Chile during the family's exile there, and upon his return, attended the Bolivian Catholic University, during which time he played an active role in the anti-authoritarian student movement, in force during the country's democratic transition.[6]

Political shift and banking career

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For many of the MNR's older members—termed movimientistas—the retirement of Paz Estenssoro at the end of his fourth term in 1989 after almost half a century at the helm of the party was a turning point.[5][8] In the ensuing leadership contest, many in the Campero family backed Guillermo Bedregal,[6] who lost in his bid to liberal mining magnate Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.[8] Though some—like Campero's brother, Javier—accepted the new leadership and continued prosperous political careers within the MNR,[7] Fernando balked at the idea: "... it seem[ed] outrageous to me that the richest man in Bolivia could be head of the party that carried out the National Revolution."[6]

Distanced from the MNR, Campero joined the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), led by Jaime Paz Zamora—himself a distant maternal relative with added familial links to the Camperos.[6][9][10] Following Paz Zamora's election to the presidency, Campero was brought on to the administration as general manager of the Bolivian Stock Exchange as well as manager of economic studies and general manager of the Central Bank of Bolivia.[1][6] Fernando joined a number of other family members in working for the MIR government, including his brother, Gonzalo—president of Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (1989–1992) and ambassador to France (1992–1993)—and cousin, Fernando Campero Prudencio—minister of exports (1992–1993).[1][9]

Chamber of Senators

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Election

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Following his tenure in the Paz Zamora administration, Campero stepped back from active political life. He made his return in 2009 at the call of businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who invited him to join the National Unity Front (UN),[6] a party born of a fraction of the now-extinct MIR.[11] Campero was nominated to contest Tarija's circumscription 45 (Cercado),[12] his first candidacy since 1989, when the MIR ran him for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies.[7]

Though relegated to a distant third place in 2009,[13] Campero remained active within UN, eventually rising to become the party's regional leader in Tarija.[14] In 2014, UN ratified its support for its leading cadres—even in cases where they had previously lost races—placing them in prominent positions on the party's electoral lists.[15] Campero was nominated to accompany Mirtha Arce as a candidate for Senate;[16] the pair won the seat.[17]

Tenure

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Campero's tenure in the Senate was characteristic of many substitute legislators, focused primarily on regional matters, whereas their primary counterparts spent most of their time legislating from the capital.[18] As head of UN in Tarija, Campero spent much of early 2015 working to construct a unified opposition bloc to contest that year's general elections. The effort was only partially successful, with UN reaching agreements with Adrián Oliva [es], who won the governorship, while Tarija Mayor Oscar Montes ran his own campaign in the municipalities, conserving the capital mayoralty.[19] In any case, Oliva soon distanced himself from UN, and the party lost much of its influence on the governor's cabinet.[20]

Absent from the 2019 and 2020 elections as a product of UN's withdrawal from both contests, Campero concluded his term in parliament and retired to Tarija,[21] where he played a minor role in restructuring UN's regional alliances, this time backing Montes's gubernatorial aspirations over Oliva's reelection bid.[22][23] This time, the pact held firm far longer into the new governor's term.[24]

Commission assignments

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  • Constitution, Human Rights, Legislation, and Electoral System Commission
    • Electoral System, Human Rights, and Social Equity Committee (20152017)[25]
  • Plural Justice, Prosecutor's Office, and Legal Defense of the State Commission
    • Prosecutor's Office and Legal Defense of the State Committee (20182019)[26]
  • Territorial Organization of the State and Autonomies Commission (20172018, 20192020)[27]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Fernando Campero
Year Office Party Alliance Votes Result Ref.
Total % P.
1989 Deputy Revolutionary Left Movement Does not appear 16,124 23.96% 3rd Lost [28][α]
2009 National Unity Front Consensus and National Unity 4,586 9.21% 3rd Lost [29]
2014 Sub. Senator National Unity Front Democratic Unity 69,989 26.59% 2nd Won [30][α]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

Publications

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  • Campero Paz, Fernando; Baldivia Urdininea, José (1987). Ciudades Intermedias (in Spanish). La Paz: Instituto Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sociales. OCLC 318233691.
  • ——————————; Quiroga, Jorge (1992). Healy, Kevin; Hunt, Shane J.; Fischer, Stanley (eds.). Reviewing Bolivia's Economic Transformation. Washington, D.C.: Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson Center. OCLC 27638832.
  • —————————— (1994). El Mercado de Capitales en Bolivia (in Spanish). La Paz: Instituto Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sociales. OCLC 32885602.
  • ——————————; Requena, Mario; Evia, José Luis (1997). Prospectiva de la Economía Boliviana: Servicios, Industria e Hidrocarburos (in Spanish). La Paz: Fundación Friedrich Ebert; Instituto Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sociales. OCLC 39139464.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c La Cámara 2016, p. 27.
  2. ^ Campero Paz 2015, pp. 48–49.
  3. ^ Quispe, Jorge (14 June 2015). Written at La Paz. "La familia que mandó a sus cinco hijos a la Guerra del Chaco" [The family that sent five sons to the Chaco War]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). London. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. ^ Romero Ballivián 2018, pp. 444, 446.
  5. ^ a b Ortiz de Zárate, Roberto. "Víctor Paz Estenssoro". cidob.org (in Spanish). Barcelona Centre for International Affairs. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Cantín, Jesús (5 November 2018). "'La estrategia de UN es elegir al candidato de oposición en junio'" ['The strategy of UN is to elect an opposition candidate in June']. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 125.
  8. ^ a b Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 98.
  9. ^ a b Quispe, Jorge (15 December 2013). "Fernando Campero Prudencio: Un empresario de estirpe" [Fernando Campero Prudencio: An entrepreneur of lineage]. La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  10. ^ Maygua, David (16 April 2023). "Jaime Paz Zamora celebró su cumpleaños con el anhelo de una alternativa política en Bolivia" [Jaime Paz Zamora Celebrated His Birthday with the Desire for a Political Alternative in Bolivia]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Samuel Doria Medina fundó el 'Frente de Unidad Nacional'" [Samuel Doria Medina founded the 'National Unity Front']. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 13 December 2003. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Lista de candidatas y candidatos: Elecciones generales 2019" (PDF). oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: National Electoral Court. 8 September 2009. p. 29. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  13. ^ For citations, see § Electoral history.
  14. ^ "Doria Medina inaugura Casa de la Unidad" [Doria Medina inaugurates House of Unity]. El País (in Spanish). La Paz. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  15. ^ Romero Ballivián 2018, pp. 119–120.
  16. ^ "Un empresario y una ex miss Tarija, la novedad en las listas del MAS" [A businessman and a former Miss Tarija, the novelties of the MAS's lists]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  17. ^ Fernández, Arturo (13 October 2014). "Los aliados de Evo no impulsan popularidad del MAS en Tarija" [Evo's allies did not boost the MAS's popularity in Tarija]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  18. ^ Corz, Carlos (14 January 2015). "El TSE avala exclusión de legisladores suplentes del veto a elecciones de marzo en medio de anuncios de procesos" [Amid announcements of processes, the TSE endorses the exclusion of substitute legislators from its veto of participants in the March elections]. La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  19. ^ Cardona, Andrea (25 January 2020). "Tarija y su historia interminable de alianzas rotas" [Tarija and its endless history of broken alliances]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  20. ^ de Torres, Miguel V. (16 July 2017). "Los aliados de Oliva y el calendario" [Oliva's allies and the electoral calendar]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  21. ^ "El ocaso de una generación política" [The twilight of a political generation]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 11 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Montes - Torres - Cossío, la alianza en Tarija aún no confirmada" [Montes - Torres - Cossío, the alliance in Tarija not yet confirmed]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Exalcalde conformó alianza para disputar gobernación" [Former mayor confirms alliance to dispute the governorship]. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 8 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  24. ^ de Torres, Miguel V. (7 March 2023). "A dos años del 7M: ¿Qué fue de los pactos electorales?" [Two years after 7M: What happened to the electoral alliances?]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  25. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó sus 10 Comisiones y 20 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2015–2016". senado.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  26. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó sus 10 Comisiones y 20 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2018–2019". senado.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  27. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó sus 10 Comisiones y 20 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2017–2018". web.senado.gob.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Publicación de Resultados Nacionales: Elecciones Generales 1989" (PDF). cne.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: National Electoral Court. 1989. p. 64. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2009 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2014 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2022.

Bibliography

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Senate of Bolivia
Preceded by
Dora Burgos
Substitute Senator for Tarija
2015–2020
Served alongside: Teresa Miranda,
Henry Chávez, Rosario Rodríguez
Succeeded by
Luis Casso