Soledad Chapetón Explained

Soledad Chapetón
Term Start:31 May 2015
Term End:3 May 2021
Predecessor:Zacarías Maquera
Term Start1:2006
Term End1:2008
Birth Name:Carmen Soledad Chapetón Tancara
Birth Date:25 October 1980
Occupation:Politician

Carmen Soledad Chapetón Tancara (born 25 October 1980) is a Bolivian politician with expertise in pedagogy. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of El Alto, a post she held from 31 May 2015 through 3 May 2021.

Biography

Chapetón's parents migrated from rural areas to the city of El Alto during the 1960s due to the lack of employment opportunities in their places of origin. Her father, Luis Chapetón Huanca, was a low-ranking police officer from Eliodoro Camacho Province. Her mother, Dalila Tancara, is a small-scale vendor who sells food (pejerreys and carachis), and is from Pacajes Province.[1]

Soledad Chapetón is the youngest of their four children. During her childhood she lived in the Nuevos Horizontes II neighborhood, part of El Alto's District 2.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Political career

Chapetón joined the National Unity Front party, led by La Paz businessman Samuel Doria Medina, in 2005.

Constituent Assembly (2006–2008)

In 2006, Chapetón was elected to the Bolivian Constituent Assembly, a special body charged with rewriting the country's constitution. She represented the 15th electoral district of La Paz, representing part of El Alto.[6] In this position, she backed the demand that the new Constitution require a two-thirds vote in the Assembly, and opposed the text drafted by the Movement Towards Socialism-led majority.[7]

2010 municipal election

In 2010, Chapetón ran for the post of mayor of El Alto on the National Unity Front slate. She lost this election to Édgar Patana Ticona of the Movement Towards Socialism.

During these five years, she put forward demands upon the national government to support the city of El Alto[8] and was a critic of Patana's administration.[9] At the 2010 congress of National Unity, Soledad Chapetón was elected by consensus as vice president of her party.[10]

In 2014, Chapetón was an unsuccessful candidate for Senator from La Paz department. in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.

Mayor of El Alto (2015–2021)

In 2015, Chapetón once again ran for mayor of El Alto, this time on behalf of the Democratic Unity alliance (which joined National Unity and the Democrat Social Movement).[11] In the 29 March 2015 elections, Chapetón won 54% of the vote and obtained a municipal council majority of 6 (of 11) members, allowing her to govern and have her executive decisions approved.[12]

She was inaugurated as mayor on 1 June 2015 and became El Alto's first woman mayor.[13]

Notes and References

  1. News: 8 March 2017. El Mercurio dice que Chapetón es "la Alcaldesa más poderosa de Bolivia". urgente.bo. 7 August 2020.
  2. Web site: QUIÉN ES QUIÉN Carmen Soledad Chapetón Tancara. 30 March 2015.
  3. Web site: 22 February 2015. Soledad Chapetón. 30 March 2015.
  4. News: 8 September 2015. Nuevos Horizontes II cumplió 32 años de vida. El Diario. 26 February 2019.
  5. Web site: 8 September 2014. Soledad Chapetón hace campaña corriendo. 30 March 2015.
  6. Web site: 2 August 2014. Chapetón: Soy la mejor candidata de El Alto. 30 March 2015. El Diario.
  7. Web site: 19 March 2015. Doria Medina y Chapetón se opusieron a la nueva CPE. 30 March 2015.
  8. Web site: 18 October 2010. A siete años de la masacre no se hizo justicia. 30 March 2015.
  9. Web site: 23 July 2012. CHAPETÓN EVALÚA DE PÉSIMA EL 14% DE EJECUCIÓN EDIL Y LA ALCALDÍA ASEGURA TENER UN AVANCE DEL 27%. 30 March 2015.
  10. Web site: 26 May 2010. Chapetón es la segunda líder de Unidad Nacional. 30 March 2015.
  11. Web site: UD realizará encuestas en diciembre para elegir candidatos a municipios y gobernaciones. 30 March 2015. Unitel.
  12. Web site: 30 March 2015. Chapetón consigue mayoría en el Concejo de la Alcaldía alteña. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092226/http://www.paginasiete.bo/decision2015/2015/3/30/chapeton-consigue-mayoria-concejo-alcaldia-altena-51807.html. 2 April 2015. 30 March 2015.
  13. Web site: 30 March 2015. Soledad Chapetón: 'El Alto no es un problema, somos una oportunidad'. 30 March 2015.