Ana María Flores Sanzetenea (born 29 July 1952) is a

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

n engineer, businesswoman, ex-senator, and politician. She is also known for her candidacy for the presidency of Bolivia in the 2009 general election, in which she finished fifth.

Biography

Ana María Flores was born on 29 July 1952 in the city of

Sucre Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...

, Bolivia. Her primary and secondary schooling took place in her hometown. She continued her higher education, traveling to the United States to study

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

at Trinity College. She also married a U.S. citizen. A few years after their marriage, Flores was widowed with two daughters. During her working life, Flores devoted herself entirely to the business of the mining equipment and construction company Whenhell, of which she was general manager and owner from age 27, from 1979 to 1984. She was also a representative of the companies Renardet Ingenieurs from 1984 to 1992, Santi Consulting from 1990 to 1997, and Iberinsa from 1992 to 1998. Flores was also owner of the investment group Cristal from 1995 until its end in 2002.

Political life

At age 50, Flores was invited by Manfred Reyes Villa's New Republican Force to participate in the elections, where she won the position of senator for La Paz Department in the

Plurinational Legislative Assembly The Plurinational Legislative Assembly ( es, Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional) is the national legislature of Bolivia, placed in La Paz, the country's seat of government. The assembly is bicameral, consisting of a lower house (the Chamber of ...

. However she left the party after the gas conflict in 2003, during the second government of president

Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada Sánchez Bustamante (born 1 July 1930), often referred to as Goni, is a Bolivian businessman and politician who served as the 61st president of Bolivia from 1993 to 1997 and from 2002 to 2003. A member of the Revolut ...

(2002–2003). During this time, Flores joined the "Transversal Group", a number of senators who had resigned from their respective political parties after the gas conflict. Flores contributed by denouncing several instances of nepotism in the Bolivian congress. She held her senatorial position until 2005. Four years after leaving office, at age 57, Flores ran for president in the 2009 general election with the United Social Patriotic Movement. She finished fifth with 23,257 votes (0.51% of the general vote).

Kidnapping

In 2012, at age 60, Flores was kidnapped by a gang in the city of

Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), P ...

. According to some Bolivian media, she paid a ransom for her release (she never disclosed the amount of money), thus regaining her freedom. The report of her abduction would become national news. In March 2015, at age 63, Flores returned to Bolivian politics, but this time participating in regional elections for the position of mayor of the city of

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

for the

Revolutionary Nationalist Movement The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement ( es, Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , MNR) is a centre-right conservative political party in Bolivia and was the leading force behind the Bolivian National Revolution from 1952 to 1964. It influen ...

. She lost in subnational elections held on 29 March.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Ana Maria 1952 births Living people 20th-century businesswomen 20th-century women engineers 21st-century businesswomen 21st-century women engineers Bolivian businesspeople Bolivian senators from La Paz Candidates in the 2009 Bolivian presidential election People from Sucre Women members of the Senate of Bolivia

Biography

Political life

Kidnapping

See also

References