Branko Goran Marinković Jovičević (born 21 August 1967) is a Bolivian electrochemical engineer,

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

businessman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

, and politician who served as the Minister of Development Planning and Minister of Economy and Public Finance during the interim presidency of

Jeanine Áñez Jeanine Áñez Chávez (; born 13 June 1967) is a Bolivian lawyer, politician, and television presenter who served as the 66th president of Bolivia from 2019 to 2020. A former member of the Social Democratic Movement, she previously served two ...

Biography

Branko Goran Marinković Jovičević was born on 21 August 1967 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He is the son of a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n father and Montenegrin mother emigrated to Bolivia from

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

in 1954. Marinković also holds Croatian passport. He studied electromechanical engineering and economics and finance at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

in the United States. Marinković is important in the Oilseeds Industry in Bolivia since 2000 and is president of the Federation of Private Entrepreneurs since 2004 and vice chairman of Banco Económico. He was elected President of the Santa Cruz Civic Committee in 2007. Marinković was an opponent of President

Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to c ...

. In the documentary, ''Who is Branko Marinković'' , which aired on Bolivian national television, Marinković was depicted as pro-

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...

, although his father reportedly was as a member of the Partisans. In that same documentary, Marinković is shown as a citizen of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. In December 2010, Bolivia's prosecutor had filed charges against 39 people, including Marinković, for 2009 alleged plot aimed at killing Evo Morales and starting an armed rebellion. Marinković, and other leading opposition leaders argued that in no way were they are associated with the plot. Marinković was forced into exile in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

while fearing for his life. He claimed his innocence and has said the following: "The Bolivian government pursues me and forced me to live outside my beloved Bolivia, because in Bolivia my life would be threatened. I have no guarantees that I would be allowed a fair trial." Following the

2019 Bolivian political crisis A political crisis occurred in Bolivia on 10 November 2019, after 21 days of civil protests following the disputed 2019 Bolivian general election in which incumbent President Evo Morales was initially declared the winner. The elections took pl ...

, Marinković returned to Bolivia. On 5 August 2020, interim president

appointed him Minister of Development Planning. He was reassigned to the Ministry of Economics and Public Finance following the resignation of Óscar Ortiz. Marinković held this position from 28 September 2020 until 6 November 2020 when he resigned along with other members of the Áñez cabinet to facilitate the transfer of power to the newly elected President,

Luis Arce Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (; born 28 September 1963), often referred to as Lucho, is a Bolivian banker, economist, and politician serving as the 67th president of Bolivia since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism, he previously serve ...

. On 11 November 2020, Fundación TIERRA brought a petition to the Bolivian Senate and Courts alleging that he had facilitated the illegal sale of over 33,000 hectares of land to himself and members of his family.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Marinkovic, Branko Living people Bolivian people of Croatian descent Bolivian people of Montenegrin descent Finance ministers of Bolivia Croatian businesspeople Croatian people of Montenegrin descent People from Santa Cruz de la Sierra Far-right politics in Bolivia University of Texas alumni 1967 births