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

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, 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 ...

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a 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 ...

, 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 Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. He is the son of a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n father and Montenegrin mother who emigrated to Bolivia from

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

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

University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. It was initially founded in 1961 as a private res ...

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 come ...

. 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 Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

, although his father reportedly was as a member of the

Partisans Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Itali ...

. In that same documentary, Marinković is shown as a citizen of

. 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, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

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 The 2019 Bolivian political crisis was a period of intense political upheaval and unrest in Bolivia that followed the disputed 2019 Bolivian general election, in which incumbent President Evo Morales was initially declared the winner. Morale ...

, 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 (Bolivia), Movement fo ...

. 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 at Dallas alumni 1967 births