René Joaquino Cabrera is a Bolivian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and the founder the

Social Alliance The Social Alliance is a Bolivian political party founded on 9 October 2005. It was granted juridical personhood by the National Electoral Court on 22 December 2006. The party grew out of the successful 2004 campaign of leader René Joaquino Cab ...

political party. Joaquino was born on February 27, 1966, in the community of Asientos, part of Chicoca Chica

ayllu The ''ayllu'', a family clan, is the traditional form of a community in the Andes, especially among Quechuas and Aymaras. They are an indigenous local government model across the Andes region of South America, particularly in Bolivia and Peru. ...

and within the canton of Tomave,

Antonio Quijarro Province Antonio Quijarro is a province in the central parts of the Bolivian Potosí Department situated at the Salar de Uyuni. Its seat is Uyuni. Location Antonio Quijarro province is one of sixteen provinces in the Potosí Department. It is located be ...

Potosí Department Potosí (; Aymara: ''Putusi''; qu, P'utuqsi) is a department in southwestern Bolivia. It comprises 118,218 km2 with 823,517 inhabitants (2012 census). The capital is the city of Potosí. It is mostly a barren, mountainous region with on ...

. He was twice elected mayor of the city of Potosí, in 2004 and 2010, but was suspended from that office on August 18, 2010. He resumed his duties on February 7, 2013. Joaquino was the city's first

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

mayor. In the run up to the 2014 national elections, Joaquino reconciled with the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party and became their candidate for Potosí's first seat in the Senate of 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 Chambe ...

. He was elected to that office on October 12, 2014, and will serve as Senator from 2015 to 2020. Joaquino's suspension as mayor was legally required due to his indictment for the municipality's illegal purchase of used vehicles in 2006. His conviction on these charges was reversed by Bolivia's

Supreme Court of Justice A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

on December 12, 2012, but he continued to face two additional criminal investigations. Joaquino was finally acquitted in the matter in December 2013. Joaquino held the Movement Towards Socialism, which has governed at the national level since 2006, responsible for his prosecution, blaming it in 2010 for "harsh and impious" acts against him. In 2014, however, he reached an accord with the MAS to serve as its first candidate for Senator from Potosí. Per the legal requirement, Joaquino stepped down from his post as mayor to be a candidate for senator. On October 12, the MAS won 69.49% of the vote in Potosí, entitling it to three of the department's four senators.Tribunal Supremo Electoral. “Potosí,” 2014

Joaquino was sworn into office on January 18, 2015, and will serve through 2021.

References

Living people 1966 births 21st-century Bolivian politicians Mayors of places in Bolivia Social Alliance politicians People from Antonio Quijarro Province {{Bolivia-mayor-stub