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

Mirtha Arce
Headshot of Mirtha Arce
Official portrait, 2018
Senator for Tarija
In office
18 January 2015 – 3 November 2020
SubstituteFernando Campero
Preceded byMarcelo Antezana
Succeeded byGladys Alarcón
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
from Tarija
Substitute
In office
25 January 2010 – 14 July 2014
DeputyAdrián Oliva [es]
Preceded byRodolfo Vargas
Succeeded byLorena Gareca
ConstituencyParty list
Personal details
Born
Mirtha Natividad Arce Camacho

(1963-12-25) 25 December 1963 (age 60)
Tarija, Bolivia
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Educator
  • lawyer
  • politician
SignatureCursive signature in ink

Mirtha Natividad Arce Camacho (born 25 December 1963) is a Bolivian academic, lawyer, and politician who served as senator for Tarija from 2015 to 2020.

Arce got her political start in student leadership before developing her career in academia and women's rights activism. She held multiple executive positions in women's rights–related organizations in Tarija, including presiding over the Association of Women Lawyers and the Association of Women University Professionals. Between 2002 and 2008, she held law-related public service roles at local and departmental levels, including serving as legal director of the Departmental Road Service of Tarija.

In 2009, Arce was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, accompanying Adrián Oliva [es] as his substitute from 2010 to 2014 when she resigned to launch a successful bid for a seat in the Senate. Though elected as part of the Democratic Unity coalition, Arce became estranged from the bloc partway through her term and operated as an independent from then on. In 2021, she contested the Tarija governorship, becoming the first woman nominee in the department's electoral history. However, she came in a distant fourth place at the ballot box.

Early life and career

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Mirtha Arce was born on 25 December 1963 in Tarija,[1] to Rosandel Arce Gonzales and Ana Camacho Gallardo. Arce completed her secondary schooling at the Santa Ana School, where she served as class president. She went on to attend the Marshal Sucre Normal School [es] as well as Juan Misael Saracho University [es] (UAJMS), where she graduated as a lawyer and teacher, completing two master's degrees in crime science and higher education and five postgraduate degrees in the fields of educational research and university teaching.[2]

During her time in university, Arce continued to be active in student leadership, serving for two terms as executive of the UAJMS Law Student Center, where she was its first female head. From there, she went on to form part of her Local University Federation and the Bolivian University Confederation and was named executive of the Bermejo Teachers Federation.[2][3]

Arce developed much of her career in academia, starting out as a university professor at UAJMS and the Bolivian Catholic University's Tarija campus. She was a founding member and president of the Association of Women Lawyers and the Association of Women University Professionals, served as vice president of the Tarija Women's Civic Committee, and composed part of the directorate of the National Confederation of Women's Institutes of Bolivia.[1] Starting in 2002, Arce began a career in public service, serving as deputy prosecutor for controlled substances until 2005, when she joined the Cercado Province as its chief legal advisor. In 2006, she joined the administration of Mario Cossío [es], Tarija's first popularly elected prefect, serving as legal director of the Departmental Road Service until 2008.[4][5]

Chamber of Deputies

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Election

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Further information: 2009 Bolivian general election

Arce's political ideology has been described as "liberal in economics" but "conservative in morals".[6] She was an early supporter of departmental autonomy, a political system heavily pushed by the country's lowland departments in the early 2000s. Despite her lack of party affiliation, Arce's adherence to decentralization and prominence in women's rights organizations contributed to her nomination for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies in 2009.[3][7] She accompanied Adrián Oliva [es] as his substitute, topping the National Convergence alliance's electoral list in the department.[8]

Tenure

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Headshot of Mirtha Arce
Official portrait, 2014

In parliament, Arce accompanied Oliva during his four terms on the lower chamber's Energy and Hydrocarbons Committee between 2010 and 2014, in addition to spending a few months on the Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance Commission in her final year.[§] The majority of her tenure, however, reflected that of many substitute parliamentarians, focusing less on legislating from the capital and more on fostering local connections in her home department.[3]

Commission assignments

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  • Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance Commission
    • Budget, Tax Policy, and Comptroller's Office Committee (2014)[9]
  • Plural Economy, Production, and Industry Commission

Chamber of Senators

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Election

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Further information: 2014 Bolivian general election

Nearing the end of her term in the Chamber of Deputies, Arce resigned from office[13] to contest a seat in the Senate. She aligned herself with Samuel Doria Medina's Democratic Unity coalition, a bloc that recycled much of National Convergence's previous electoral list in a bid to guarantee a high degree of parliamentary representation.[14][15] Benefitting from a favorable position at the top of her alliance's electoral list, Arce won the seat, becoming Democratic Unity's only senator in the department.[16]

Tenure

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Sworn in the following January, Arce spent her first year heading the Senate's Electoral System, Human Rights, and Social Equity Committee. Even as she exercised leadership over a key parliamentary post in the field of women's rights,[17] Arce often found herself contending with machista currents within her own caucus, an issue that ultimately led to her estrangement from the opposition alliance.[18] These internal divisions culminated in 2016 when Arce refused to chair a committee her caucus had assigned to her, opting instead to seek a position on the Senate's powerful Ethics Commission. With the supporting votes of legislators from the ruling Movement for Socialism, Arce obtained the post, beating out the candidate nominated by the rest of the Democratic Unity caucus.[19][20] The following year, Arce officialized her break from the alliance with which she was elected. For the duration of her term, she operated as an independent, unaffiliated with any of the Senate's three parliamentary caucuses.[21]

Senators Patricia Gómez and Mirtha Arce make a sign of the cross with their right hands as they are sworn into the Senate Ethics Commission.
Arce and her colleague are sworn into the Ethics Commission.

Commission assignments

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  • Constitution, Human Rights, Legislation, and Electoral System Commission
    • Electoral System, Human Rights, and Social Equity Committee (Secretary: 2015–2017)[22]
  • Plural Justice, Prosecutor's Office, and Legal Defense of the State Commission
    • Prosecutor's Office and Legal Defense of the State Committee (Secretary: 2018–2019)[23]
  • Territorial Organization of the State and Autonomies Commission (President: 2017–2018, 2019–2020)[24]
  • Ethics and Transparency Commission (2016–2017)[25]

Tarija gubernatorial campaign

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Main article: 2021 Tarija gubernatorial election

Soon after the conclusion of her senatorial term, Arce jumped onto the campaign trail, announcing a bid for the Tarija governorship. Though initially invited to be the Christian Democratic Party's nominee,[26] Arce instead registered her candidacy with a local party: Integration, Security, and Autonomy. Of the candidates contesting the governorship in Tarija, Arce stood out as the only woman,[27] making her the first woman to do so in the department's electoral history,[28] as well as one of just seven women nationwide nominated to run in gubernatorial elections that cycle.[29] Of the participating parties, Arce's campaign represented the most conservative segments of Tarija society,[30] a fact she did little to disguise or grow past. According to journalist Miguel V. de Torres, this factor—in addition to her campaign's comparatively low budget—made it difficult for her to "find any space in which to fish for votes that are not [already] hers".[6] Arce found herself unable to gain significant traction, and she ultimately lost the election, finishing in a distant fourth place.[31]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Mirtha Arce
Year Office Alliance Votes Result Ref.
Total % P.
2009 Substitute deputy National Convergence 85,840 38.28% 2nd Won [32][α]
2014 Senator Democratic Unity 69,989 26.59% 2nd Won [33][α]
2021 Governor Integration, Security, and Autonomy 6,636 2.27% 4th Lost [34]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

Publications

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  • Arce Camacho, Mirtha N. (2001). Mujer y avances legislativos en Bolivia (in Spanish). Tarija: Talleres de Edición Luis de Fuentes.
  • ——————————— (2004). El Ministerio Público (in Spanish). Tarija: Talleres de Edición Luis de Fuentes.

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. ^ a b Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, p. 174; Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 60.
  2. ^ a b Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, p. 174.
  3. ^ a b c Cantín, Jesús (18 March 2019). "Mirtha Arce: ¿Candidata? Va a haber sorpresas este año" [Mirtha Arce: Candidate? There May Be Surprises This Year]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 60.
  5. ^ "PDC invita a exsenadora Mirtha Arce para ser candidata a la gobernación de Tarija" [PDC Invites Former Senator Mirtha Arce to Be a Candidate for the Tarija Governorship]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b de Torres, Miguel V. (31 January 2021). "Cuando Mirtha entre en campaña" [When Mirtha Enters the Campaign]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  7. ^ Romero Ballivián 2018, pp. 60–61.
  8. ^ "Nómina de ciudadanos electos" (PDF). oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. 2009. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  9. ^ Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, pp. 174, 308.
  10. ^ Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, pp. 174, 313, 317.
  11. ^ "Comisiones y Comités: Periodo Legislativo 2011–2012". diputados.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Deputies. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Comisiones y Comités: Periodo Legislativo 2012–2013". diputados.bo (in Spanish). Chamber of Deputies. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Elecciones: La Cámara de Diputados acepta la renuncia de 14 opositores y 10 oficialistas" [Elections: Chamber of Deputies Accepts the Resignation of 14 Opposition and 10 Ruling Party Legislators] (in Spanish). La Paz. Oxígeno.bo. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  14. ^ Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 61.
  15. ^ Layme, Beatriz (15 July 2014). "UD apuesta por exlegisladores para hacerle frente al MAS" [UD Bets on Former Legislators to Face the MAS]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  16. ^ Fernández, Arturo (13 October 2014). "Los aliados de Evo no impulsan popularidad del MAS en Tarija" [Evo's Allies Did Not Boost the MAS's Popularity in Tarija]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Senadores de Tarija logran puestos claves" [Tarija Senators Achieve Key Positions]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Senadora Mirtha Arce se aleja de Unidad Demócrata" [Senator Mirtha Arce Distances Herself from Democratic Unity] (in Spanish). La Paz. ERBOL. 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Surgen fricciones en UD por cargos en el Senado" [Frictions Arise in UD over Positions in the Senate]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. ERBOL. 29 January 2016. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  20. ^ Layme, Beatriz (6 May 2016). "El MAS elige a opositora crítica de Murillo en Comisión de Ética" [The MAS Elects Murillo Critic to the Ethics Commission]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Mirtha Arce se aleja de UD por acoso político" [Mirtha Arce Distances Herself from UD Over Political Harassment]. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 28 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  22. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó sus 10 Comisiones y 20 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2015–2016". senado.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  23. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó sus 10 Comisiones y 20 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2018–2019". senado.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  24. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó sus 10 Comisiones y 20 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2017–2018". web.senado.gob.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  25. ^ "La Cámara de Senadores conformó su Comisión de Ética y Transparencia: Gestión Legislativa 2016–2017". web.senado.gob.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Senators. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  26. ^ "Mirtha Arce anuncia su candidatura a la gobernación de Tarija 'con ideas y rostros nuevos'" [Mirtha Arce Announces Her Candidacy for the Tarija Governorship "With New Ideas and Faces"]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  27. ^ Maygua, David (19 February 2021). "Mirtha Arce, la única mujer que disputa la gobernación de Tarija con una campaña austera" [Mirtha Arce, the Only Woman Disputing the Governorship of Tarija, Runs an Austere Campaign]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  28. ^ Campos, Lidia (30 November 2020). "Partido Demócrata Cristiano invita a la Dra. Mirtha Arce Camacho como candidata a la gobernación de Tarija" [Christian Democratic Party Invites Dr. Mirtha Arce Camacho as a Candidate for the Tarija Governorship]. Al Día Bolivia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  29. ^ Segales, Erika (9 January 2021). "Comicios: Sólo 7 mujeres buscan ser gobernadoras, entre 84 candidaturas" [Elections: Only 7 Women Seek to Become Governors, Out of 84 Candidates]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  30. ^ de Torres, Miguel V. (12 February 2021). "Rumbo al 7M: Sin comadres, sin debate, con ministro" [Towards 7M: Without Women, Without Debate, with the Minister]. El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  31. ^ Maygua, David (12 March 2021). "TED de Tarija ratifica segunda vuelta para elección de gobernador" [Tarija TED Confirms Second Round in Governor Election]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  32. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2009 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2014 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Elecciones de Gobernadores 2021 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2022.

Bibliography

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