Wikipedia

Andrónico Rodríguez

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Ledezma.

Andrónico Rodríguez Ledezma (born 11 November 1988) is a Bolivian cocalero activist, political scientist, politician, and trade unionist serving as president of the Senate since 2020. A member of the Movement for Socialism, he serves as senator for Cochabamba. Rodríguez's lengthy career in the cocalero union hierarchy saw him serve as general secretary of the 21 September Workers' Center from 2015 to 2016 and as executive of the Mamoré Bulo Bulo Federation from 2016 to 2018, in addition to a multitude of other minor positions. He has served as vice president of the Coordination Committee of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba since 2018 and held office as president of the organization from 2019 to 2020 in the absence of the body's longtime leader, Evo Morales.

Andrónico Rodríguez
Headshot of Andrónico Rodríguez
Official portrait, 2020
President of the Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 November 2020
Preceded byEva Copa
Senator for Cochabamba
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 November 2020
SubstituteDilma Cabrera
Preceded byEfraín Chambi
President of the Six Federations
of the Tropic of Cochabamba
In office
11 November 2019 – 9 November 2020
Preceded byEvo Morales
Succeeded byEvo Morales
Vice President of the Six Federations
of the Tropic of Cochabamba
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 September 2018
PresidentEvo Morales
Preceded byLuis Veizaga
Personal details
Born
Andrónico Rodríguez Ledezma

(1988-11-11) 11 November 1988 (age 36)
Sacaba, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Political partyMovement for Socialism
Alma materHigher University of San Simón
Occupation
  • Political scientist
  • politician
  • trade unionist
SignatureCursive signature in ink

Early life and career

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Of Quechua descent,[1] Andrónico Rodríguez was born on 11 November 1988 in Sacaba, Cochabamba, the second-youngest of four children born to Carlos Rodríguez and Sinforosa Ledezma. From first to third grade, Rodríguez attended the Don Bosco de Melga School in Sacaba, later emigrating with his family to Entre Ríos in the coca-growing tropics of Cochabamba. He completed secondary education in the city, graduating from the José Carrasco School in 2006 and fulfilling mandatory military service in the "Colonel Ladislao Cabrera" 33rd Infantry Regiment. Rodríguez's upbringing was heavily influenced by the political activities of his parents; his father was a prominent peasant leader among the cocalero growers, while his mother worked as a minute secretary for the Manco Cápac Union at a time when it was uncommon for women to participate in organized labor.[2]

 
Rodríguez's meteoric rise through trade union hierarchy represented a push toward renewal of leadership among the Chapare coca growers.[3]

As a child, Rodríguez accompanied his father to trade union meetings, becoming proficient in the leadership style of the Chapare coca growers, even participating in cocalero-led strikes and blockades against US-sponsored coca eradication efforts in the region. Rodríguez's experience in these circles motivated him to seek higher education; he attended the Higher University of San Simón (UMSS) in Cochabamba, graduating with a degree in political science in 2012. While still in university, Rodríguez continued his trajectory in the organized labor movement, becoming president of the UMSS's student youth union. Shortly after graduating, he joined the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba—the largest coca growers' syndicate in the country—where he served as president of the organization's university governing board.[4][5]

In the ensuing years, Rodríguez rapidly rose through the ranks of cocalero union leadership.[3] In 2013, he replaced his mother as the Manco Cápac Union's minute taker and in 2014, he assumed office as secretary of relations of the 21 September Workers' Center, rising to become the organization's general secretary the following year. In 2016, Rodríguez was elected as executive of the Mamoré Bulo Bulo Federation, where he served for two terms.[2] As a representative of this organization, Rodríguez was presented twice as a candidate for the vice presidency of the Six Federations' Coordination Committee during the body's XIII and XIV congresses. On the first occasion in 2016, he attained 184 votes, placing third, but in 2018, he was elected, attaining the support of 1,020 of the organization's delegates. As vice president, Rodríguez served as second in command under Evo Morales, who had directed the Six Federations as its top leader for over two decades by that point.[6][7][8]

With his accession to the vice presidency of the Six Federations, Rodríguez's public profile rose exponentially. Reporting for Infobae, journalist Tuffí Aré noted that "since his election in September 2018, [Rodríguez] almost always [appears] on the right or left side of Evo Morales ... the young character is already the president's most trusted man in his greatest stronghold (the Chapare)". Even as Rodríguez hosted the launch of Morales's third reelection bid, media outlets had already begun to point to him as a possible successor to the country's longest-serving president, with Red UNO even labeling him "the heir" of Morales.[9] Rodríguez, for his part, rejected that label as "monarchical", considering himself "part of the renewal of the [Bolivian socialist movement]" but assuring that "leaderships are built; they are not designated or assumed by decree".[10][11]

Chamber of Senators

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Election

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Further information: 2019 Bolivian general election and 2020 Bolivian general election
See also: 2019 Bolivian protests and 2019 Bolivian political crisis

Rodríguez took his first steps into national politics in 2019, running to represent Cochabamba in the Senate on behalf of Morales's party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP).[12] The MAS handily won in the department, attaining nearly sixty percent of the popular vote.[13] Despite the victory, broader allegations of electoral fraud put the national results into question, sparking mass opposition protests that culminated in Morales's resignation and flight from the country just over a month later.[14] In Morales's absence, Rodríguez found himself at the head of the Six Federations, a position he used to direct cocalero-led protests opposing the former president's ouster,[15][16] though he rejected more radical calls by some compatriots to "raise arms" in a Che-style insurgency.[17]

With new elections scheduled for 2020 and Morales barred from participating,[18] Rodríguez quickly emerged as a viable contender to receive the MAS's nomination for the presidency. Just over a month after Morales's removal, representatives of the MAS's youth wing in Cochabamba put forward Rodríguez as their presidential candidate, with an ensuing opinion poll published by Página Siete demonstrating him leading amid a field of other opposition candidates.[19][20] In January, the Pact of Unity—a coalition of MAS-aligned trade syndicates—proclaimed former foreign minister David Choquehuanca, "an Aymara comrade", as their preferred presidential candidate, with Rodríguez, "[a] Quechua comrade", presented as his running mate.[21][22] However, that proposition was rejected by Morales, who considered Rodríguez "too young" to hold the position. The former president instead selected Luis Arce as the MAS's presidential pick, accompanied by Choquehuanca as his running mate, with Morales describing Rodríguez's sidelining as a "sacrifice" the MAS youth would have to make.[23]

Though unable to contest the presidency, Rodríguez remained in the race as a candidate for senator, placing third on the party's electoral list.[24] Following the disqualification of Morales's own senatorial candidacy, Rodríguez was profiled as a possible replacement, better positioning him to win the seat in the event of a close election.[25] Ultimately, cocalero unionist Leonardo Loza [es] was tapped to top the party's list in place of the former president.[26] Nonetheless, the MAS's landslide victory in Cochabamba, even surpassing the previous year's results, ensured that the party won three of the department's four available Senate seats.[27][28]

Tenure

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With the return to power of the MAS, Rodríguez re-ceded control of the Six Federations to Morales.[29] Though the organization's XV Congress ratified both Morales and Rodríguez, respectively, as president and vice president of the Six Federations,[30] as a senator, Rodríguez's focus shifted to his work in the legislature. Shortly after assuming office, the MAS majority in the Legislative Assembly elected Rodríguez to preside as president of the Senate, a position he was reelected to with minimal resistance in 2021 and with only marginal pushback in 2022.[31][32][33] As president, Rodríguez sought to convey a more conciliatory attitude compared to his time as a cocalero activist, pledging to "[generate] spaces for dialogue and consultation [with the opposition], trying at all times to avoid making decisions based on majorities and minorities". "We want [the opposition] to feel that their voice and vote are also very important; they have our respect because they are democratically elected authorities and public servants", he stated.[34]

Given their historic relationship, Rodríguez remained a stalwart Evista—the faction of parliamentarians most closely aligned with Morales—throughout his early senatorial tenure.[35] Though Rodríguez continues to be recognized as one of Morales's most trusted figures within both the legislature and cocalero movement,[36] more recently, he has also been highlighted as an emerging leader of his own Androniquista bloc, a quaternary faction within a MAS internally divided by Arcista, Choquehuanquista, and Evista currents all vying for leadership of the party.[37]

Commission assignments

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  • Chamber of Senators Directorate (President: 2020–present)

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Andrónico Rodríguez
Year Office Party Votes Result Ref.
Total % P.
2019 Senator Movement for Socialism 659,188 57.52% 1st Annulled [38][α]
2020 Movement for Socialism 773,386 65.90% 1st Won [39][α]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

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. ^ Valdez, Carlos (19 November 2020). "Evo Morales retoma el control del mayor sindicato cocalero" [Evo Morales Retakes Control of the Largest Cocalero Syndicate]. Chicago Tribune (in Spanish). La Paz. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2022. Andrónico Rodríguez un politólogo de 32 años de origen quechua quien ahora es presidente del Senado.
  2. ^ a b Zapata, Verónica (10 January 2020). "Conozca el joven que lidera la resistencia en Bolivia: Andronico Rodríguez" [Meet the Youth Leading the Resistance in Bolivia: Andronico Rodríguez]. Motor Económico (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b Aré Vásquez, Tuffí (2 June 2019). "¿Quién es el cocalero de 29 años que prepara Evo Morales para su sucesión?" [Who Is the 29-Year-Old Cocalero Evo Morales Is Preparing for His Succession?]. Infobae (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. ^ Carballo, María (3 June 2019). "De Morales a Andrónico: 'Tienes que consolidar la ruta de Evo'" [From Morales to Andrónico: "You Must Consolidate Evo's Path"]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Cocaleros reeligen a Morales como su líder y plantean otro juicio contra Áñez" [Cocaleros Reelect Morales As Their Leader and Put Forward Another Trial Against Áñez]. Swissinfo (in Spanish). Bern. EFE. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022. La [sic] Seis Federaciones del Trópico de Cochabamba [son] el mayor sindicato del sector [cocalero] en Bolivia.
  6. ^ "Luis Veizaga es electo como vicepresidente de las Seis Federaciones del Trópico" [Luis Veizaga Is Elected Vice President of the Six Federations of the Tropics]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Evo es ratificado por los cocaleros del trópico como su presidente" [Evo Is Ratified by the Cocaleros of the Tropics As Their President]. Urgente.bo (in Spanish). La Paz. 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Cocaleros ratifican a Evo y Álvaro para primarias" [Cocaleros Ratify Evo and Álvaro for the Primaries]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  9. ^ Aré Vásquez, Tuffí (2 June 2019). "¿Quién es el cocalero de 29 años que prepara Evo Morales para su sucesión?" [Who Is the 29-Year-Old Cocalero Evo Morales Is Preparing for His Succession?]. Infobae (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2022. ... desde su elección, en septiembre de 2018, [Rodríguez] casi siempre [aparece] al costado derecho o izquierdo de Evo Morales ... el joven personaje ya es el hombre de mayor confianza del Presidente en su mayor bastión.
  10. ^ Rojas, Fernanda (18 October 2019). Written at La Paz. "'Andy', el joven protegido de Evo Morales que aspira a convertirse en su sucesor" ["Andy", the Young Protégé of Evo Morales Who Aspires to Become His Successor]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Santiago. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  11. ^ Rojas, Fernanda (24 December 2019). "Andrónico Rodríguez Ledezma, precandidato presidencial del MAS: 'Mientras Evo tenga vida va a guiar al partido y a Bolivia'" [Andrónico Rodríguez Ledezma, MAS Presidential Hopeful: "As Long As Evo Is Alive, He Will Guide the Party and Bolivia"]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Santiago. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2022. Los liderazgos se construyen, no se designan o asumen a través de decreto.
  12. ^ Rojas Medrano, July (10 July 2019). "Molina y periodista aparecen en la lista del MAS para la ALP" [Molina and Journalist Appear on the MAS List for the ALP]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  13. ^ "MAS gana en Cochabamba con el 57,52% de votos" [MAS Wins in Cochabamba with 57.52% of the Vote]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Agencia Boliviana de Información. 22 October 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Evo Morales renuncia a la presidencia de Bolivia y denuncia un golpe de Estado" [Evo Morales Resigns as President of Bolivia and Denounces a Coup d'état]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). London. 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  15. ^ "¿Andrónico, candidato a la presidencia?" [Andrónico, Candidate for President?]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 16 November 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Convocan a Andrónico Rodríguez a pacificar el país y renovar el MAS" [Activist Calls on Andrónico Rodríguez to Pacify the Country and Renew the MAS]. Urgente.bo (in Spanish). La Paz. Agencia Boliviana de Información. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Andrónico revela que tras 2019 muchos le dijeron 'tenemos que levantar las armas'" [Andrónico Reveals That After 2019 Many Told Him That "We Have to Raise Arms"]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 9 April 2023. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Crisis en Bolivia: La presidenta interina Jeanine Áñez promulga la ley para convocar nuevas elecciones sin Evo Morales como candidato" [Crisis in Bolivia: Interim President Jeanine Áñez Enacts Law Calling New Elections Without Evo Morales as a Candidate]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). London. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  19. ^ Jimenez, Gustavo Fernando (16 December 2019). "Andrónico recibe apoyo de juventudes del MAS de Cochabamba como candidato a la presidencia" [Andrónico Receives Support from MAS Youth in Cochabamba to Be Presidential Candidate]. El Deber (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Aún sin Evo Morales, su partido lidera los sondeos para las elecciones presidenciales en Bolivia" [Even Without Evo Morales, His Party Leads the Polls for the Presidential Elections in Bolivia]. Clarín (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. 22 December 2019. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  21. ^ Chuquimia, Marco Antonio (16 January 2020). "Pacto de Unidad se decide por Choquehuanca y Rodríguez como los candidatos del MAS" [Pact of Unity Decides on Choquehuanca and Rodríguez As the MAS's Candidates]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Un indígena y un cocalero forman el binomio del MAS para elecciones en Bolivia" [An Aboriginal and a Cocalero Form the MAS Ticket for the Elections in Bolivia]. Reuters (in Spanish). London. 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  23. ^ "En un solo día, Andrónico Rodríguez recibió al menos tres bofetadas de Evo Morales" [In Just One Day, Andrónico Rodríguez Received at Least Three Slaps from Evo Morales]. Brújula Digital (in Spanish). La Paz. 19 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Evo aparece como primer senador del MAS en Cochabamba; Andrónico es tercero" [Evo Is Nominated for First Senator of the MAS in Cochabamba; Andrónico Is Third]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Andrónico suma apoyo para ser primer senador" [Andrónico Gains Support to Be First Senator]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  26. ^ Corz, Carlos (11 September 2020). "El dirigente cocalero Leonardo Loza reemplaza a Evo Morales en la candidatura a senador" [Cocalero Leader Leonardo Loza Replaces Evo Morales as a Senatorial Candidate]. La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Al 100% de los votos escrutados el MAS vence en Cochabamba con 65.90% y CC 31.68%" [At 100% of the Votes Counted, the MAS Wins in Cochabamba with 65.90% and CC 31.68%]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  28. ^ "Conoce cómo quedará conformado el Senado, donde el MAS tiene 21 escaños, CC 11 y Creemos 4" [Find Out How the Senate Will Be Conformed, Where the MAS Has 21 Seats, CC 11, and Creemos 4] (in Spanish). Agencia de Noticias Fides. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  29. ^ Valdez, Carlos (19 November 2020). "Evo Morales retoma el control del mayor sindicato cocalero" [Evo Morales Retakes Control of the Largest Cocalero Syndicate]. Chicago Tribune (in Spanish). La Paz. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Evo y Andrónico son ratificados como presidente y vicepresidente de las federaciones del trópico" [Evo and Andrónico Are Ratified as President and Vice President of the Federations of the Tropics] (in Spanish). La Paz. ERBOL. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Rodríguez es el nuevo presidente del Senado y tomó juramento a nueva directiva" [Rodríguez Is the New President of the Senate and Swore In a New Directorate]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Agencia de Noticias Fides. 4 November 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Senado reelige a Rodríguez como presidente y Ticona es segundo vicepresidente" [Senate Reelects Rodríguez as President and Ticona Is Second Vice President]. Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Evo felicita a Andrónico por otra reelección en Senado y en el MAS ven apetitos personales del trópico" [Evo Congratulates Andrónico on Another Reelection in the Senate and in the MAS There Is Concern over Personal Appetites from the Tropics]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  34. ^ "Andrónico Rodríguez: 'Es tiempo de curar las heridas y tomar en cuenta a la oposición'" [Andrónico Rodríguez: "It's Time to Heal the Wounds and Take the Opposition into Account"]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 5 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022. Mi labor se traducirá en la generación de espacios de diálogo y concertación, ... tratando de evitar en todo momento tomar decisiones en función a mayorías y minorías ... Queremos que [la oposición] sientan que su voz y voto también son muy importantes; que tienen nuestro respeto porque son autoridades y servidores públicos elegidos democráticamente.
  35. ^ "Luego de evitar asumir una posición dentro del MAS, Andrónico se define como 'evista'" [After Avoiding Assuming a Position Within the MAS, Andrónico Defines Himself as an "Evista"] (in Spanish). La Paz. Agencia de Noticias Fides. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  36. ^ Chuquimia, Leny (16 January 2022). "De Quintana a del Castillo: 26 hombres y mujeres fuertes de Evo, Lucho y David" [From Quintana to del Castillo: 26 Confidants of Evo, Lucho, and David]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  37. ^ "Arce y Choquehuanca reconocen que existen bloques en el MAS" [Arce and Choquehuanca Acknowledge That Factions Exist Within the MAS]. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 20 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  38. ^ "Publicación de Resultados Nacionales: Elecciones Generales 2019" (PDF). www.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). Plurinational Electoral Organ. 2019. pp. 11, 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  39. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2020". Atlas Electoral (in Spanish). Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
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