Elizabeth Salguero

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

Early life and career

Elizabeth Salguero was born on 12 December 1964. ^[1] In 1982, she graduated from the Loretto School in La Paz before completing her education abroad, attending the National University of Córdoba in Argentina from 1984 to 1989, and obtaining a bachelor's degree in social communication. Salguero later traveled to Germany to study at the University of Karlsruhe from 1991 to 1993, where she graduated with a master's in regional planning. ^[2]

Returning to Bolivia, Salguero entered the public arena as an activist in the feminist and indigenous movements of the 1990s. In particular, she focused her activities on the rights of indigenous women, whom she considered to be "triple discriminated against" due to their ethnicity, impoverishment, and gender. ^[3] In 1994, Salguero founded and directed the National Network of Information and Communication Workers, focused on producing and disseminating publications related to women's issues. ^[4] From 1996 to 1997, she served as the coordinator of communication and documentation for the Women's Information and Development Center, working towards the expansion of women's rights in the country, especially in regards to gender quotas and the reduction of violence and harassment, and increased presence in political and social organizations. In 1995, Salguero served as the national coordinator of the NGO Forum of the Andean subregion at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Later, between 2001 and 2004, she was the national coordinator of the Articulation of Women for Equity and Equality group. ^[5]

Salguero directed the Crónica Azul magazine between 1996 and 2000. Additionally, she wrote as a columnist for La Razón, the Bolpress News Agency, and the Women's Alternative Communication Network. ^[4] At the same time, Salguero played a role in alternative media as director and general manager of Radio Graffiti. ^[5] From 2018 to 2023, she has been a columnist for Página Siete . ^[6]

Chamber of Deputies

From 2000 to 2001, Salguero served as gender coordinator of the La Paz mayor's office. ^[5] Together with Mayor Juan del Granado, as well as Luis Revilla and other young officials dissatisfied with the traditional political parties, she participated in the foundation of the Fearless Movement (MSM), a progressive political party. However, political and ideological differences eventually led her to distance herself from the party. ^[7] Instead, Salguero aligned herself with the emergent Movement for Socialism (MAS). In 2005, she stepped into politics as a MAS candidate for deputy and was elected as a party-list member of the Chamber of Deputies representing La Paz. ^[8] During her term, Salguero served at various points on the International Relations, Social Policy, and Human Rights commissions of the Chamber of Deputies and was president of the latter. ^{[4] [9]}

2009 and 2010 elections

Further information: 2009 Bolivian general election and 2010 Bolivian regional elections

In 2009, Salguero was among the few incumbent legislators nominated for reelection by the MAS, though this time as a substitute deputy to Héctor Enrique Arce. ^[5] Although the pair emerged victoriously, the MAS nominated her as the party's candidate for the La Paz mayorship shortly after that. In order to qualify as a candidate, Salguero resigned her seat on 28 December, before taking office. She was replaced as Arce's substitute by Adelia Álvarez, who was in tenth position on the MAS' electoral list. ^{[9] [10]}

On 16 February 2010, Salguero inaugurated her electoral campaign with an offering to Pachamama in the center of the Plaza Murillo. ^[11] Her primary electoral opponent was Revilla—Granado's chosen successor—of the MSM, the very party she had helped establish over a decade prior. During her campaign, Salguero proposed a debate with Granado rather than Revilla, viewing him as "the one who pulls the strings". Revilla, in turn, accused the MAS of lacking a government program, a claim Salguero rejected as false. ^[12] Ultimately, Salguero failed to triumph over the MSM's ten-year incumbency advantage, and Revilla won the mayoral election. ^[13]

Minister of Cultures

Despite her electoral defeat, Salguero remained in the government's good graces and, on 15 February 2011, President Evo Morales appointed her to head the Ministry of Cultures in replacement of Zulma Yugar. ^{[14] [15]} Salguero's management focused its efforts on three axes: extending interculturalism in the arts and culture, emphasizing depatriarchalization as part of the process of decolonization, and promoting tourism. ^[16] In particular, Salguero pledged to "eliminate those customs or concepts that promote any type of racial or gender discrimination". ^[17] One aspect of this was the ministry's review of school textbooks to identify and remove racist terminology. ^[4] Her political project culminated in the publication of the 2011–2015 Institutional Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Cultures, which aimed to clearly define the ministry's primary mission, vision, and strategic objectives, and outline its main public policy guidelines. ^[18]

Salguero and Morales attend a Pukllay festival, 20 March 2011.

Other projects included works to conserve archaeological and cultural sites such as the ancient indigenous citadel of Tiwanaku and the silver-rich mountain of Cerro Rico, which had seen signs of neglect in recent years. ^[4] In the case of Cerro Rico, which was in danger of collapsing, Salguero's administration was ultimately unable to negotiate a solution that both allowed the government to carry out conservation efforts while also guaranteeing the economic security of at least seventy percent of the miners who relied on its natural wealth to maintain a living. ^[18] On the other hand, on 11 October 2011, the Center for Archaeological, Anthropological, and Administrative Research of Tiwanaku was established, responsible for the management, conservation, maintenance, refurbishment, research, and promotion of the complex. Through this, Salguero ensured that the government would be able to finance the protection of the Tiwanaku archaeological site and the regional museums around it. ^[19]

In March 2011, Salguero nominated three Bolivian festivals to UNESCO for World Heritage recognition as part of the cultural and intangible heritage of humanity. These were: the Ichapekene Fiesta of San Ignacio de Moxos, the Pukllay festival in Tarabuco—including the Ayarichi dance of the Yampara people—and the Alasitas fair of La Paz. ^[20] Additionally, her administration promoted laws that recognized eight folk dances as cultural and intangible heritage: Caporales, Chuta, Diablada, Kullawada, Llamerada, Morenada, Tinku, and the Afro-Bolivian Saya. Regarding tourism, the country brand "Bolivia awaits you" was launched in conjunction with a promotional website and the establishment of the Tourist Registration System. ^[18]

After just under a year in office, Morales renewed his cabinet on 23 January 2012; Salguero was replaced by former minister Pablo Groux, who had previously headed the Ministry of Cultures during Morales' first term. ^[21]

Diplomatic career

Three months after her departure from the Ministry of Cultures, on 11 April 2012, Morales appointed Salguero as Bolivia's ambassador to Germany, a post that had been vacant for the previous six months. ^{[22] [23]} During her term, Salguero negotiated the repatriation of an Ekeko Tunu statuette from the Bern Historical Museum in Switzerland back to Bolivia. The artifact had been stolen from a site in Tiwanaku over a century prior by the Swiss diplomat Johann Jakob von Tschudi. Despite its initial refusal to return the relic, the museum ultimately relented after a long period of negotiations and agreed to repatriate it in early 2015. Salguero stated that the Ekeko's return set a precedent for other countries seeking to recover their cultural heritage. ^[24]

After three years at the helm of the Bolivian mission in Germany, Salguero resigned from her post on 31 July 2015. ^[25] After that, she retired from party politics, partly due to her disagreement with President Morales' decision to run for a fourth presidential term despite the fact that the populace had rejected the abolition of term limits in a 2016 referendum. "... Morales himself told us that 'government must listen to the people' and unfortunately he did not", she stated. ^[26] In 2015, UN Women designated Salguero as an international expert in strategic planning for Bolivia. Her work focuses on implementing laws punishing violence against women and the economic empowerment of women in the workplace. ^[1]

Elizabeth Salguero
Minister of Cultures
In office 15 February 2011 –23 January 2012

Electoral history of Elizabeth Salguero

Year	Office	Party		Votes			Result	Ref.
				Total	%	P.
2005	Deputy		Movement for Socialism	640,880	66.63%	1st [lower-greek 1]	Won	[27]
2009			Movement for Socialism	1,099,259	80.28%	1st [lower-greek 1]	Won	[28]
2010	Mayor		Movement for Socialism	162,667	34.93%	2nd	Lost	[29]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References

Notes

1. Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.

Footnotes

1. Aguilar Agramont, Ricardo (9 November 2015). "Elizabeth Salguero Carrillo: De nuevo en la labor de género". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
2. Romero Ballivián 2018 , pp. 534–535
3. Tejerina, Carla (13 December 2015). "Ser mujer, una cuestión de derechos". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022. ... las mujeres [indígenas] eran triplemente discriminadas, por ser pobres, mujeres y por su pertenencia étnica ...
4. "Salguero dice que eliminará factores de discriminación". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
5. Romero Ballivián 2018 , p. 535
6. "Elizabeth Salguero Carrillo". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
7. "Salguero y Revilla sembraron la semilla del MSM, ahora se disputarán la Alcaldía Municipal paceña". eju! (in Spanish). 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
8. Informe al H. Congreso Nacional.
9. "Evo ya tiene candidatos en 5 departamentos". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 26 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
10. "Salguero renunciará a su diputación suplente". La Razón (in Spanish). 28 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
11. Staff writer (16 February 2010). Written at La Paz. "Bolivia.- La candidata del MAS a la alcaldía de La Paz prepara el inicio de campaña con una ofrenda a la Madre Tierra". Notimérica (in Spanish). Madrid. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
12. Staff writer (24 February 2010). Written at La Paz. "Salguero plantea debatir con Juan del Granado y no con Luis Revilla". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Agencia Boliviana de Información. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022. Juan del Granado ... es el que mueve los hilos para que diga lo que dice Luis Revilla ...', afirmó Salguero.
13. "El MAS proclama una deslucida victoria electoral". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 5 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
14. Morales Ayma, Evo (15 February 2011). "Decreto Presidencial N° 794". gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
15. Staff writer (16 February 2011). Written at La Paz. "Morales cambia a dos Ministras y repone Ministerio de Comunicación". La Jornada (in Spanish). Mexico City. EFE. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
16. Arias, Sandra (7 April 2011). "Culturas define tres ejes para orientar su gestión". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
17. "Salguero dice que eliminará factores de discriminación". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022. 'Vamos a trabajar en eliminar aquellas costumbres o conceptos que fomenten cualquier tipo de discriminación racial o de género ...', adelantó [Salguero] tras tomar posesión de su despacho.
18. Carrillo V., Liliana (14 June 2020). "'Evo nos decía que hay que gobernar escuchando al pueblo y él no lo hizo'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
19. "Con un decreto se busca salvaguardar Tiwanaku". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
20. Staff writer (17 March 2011). Written at La Paz. "Bolivia postula tres expresiones culturales como patrimonio inmaterial ante la Unesco". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Agencia Boliviana de Información. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
21. Staff writer (23 January 2012). Written at La Paz. "Evo Morales remodela su gabinete ministerial". El Universo (in Spanish). Guayaquil. EFE. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
22. "Evo designa a Elizabeth Salguero como nueva embajadora en Alemania". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 11 April 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
23. "Evo designa a Salguero como nueva embajadora en Alemania". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 12 April 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
24. Finkel, Amancaya (28 January 2015). Written at Berlin. "La lucha por el Ekeko Tunu en Suiza". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
25. "Boletín de la embajada: Abril 2015 N°04" (PDF) (in Spanish). Berlin. 2015. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2022. Elizabeth Salguero ha dado a conocer la culminación de su gestión como Embajadora de Bolivia en Alemania para este 31 de julio [2015].
26. Carrillo V., Liliana (14 June 2020). "'Evo nos decía que hay que gobernar escuchando al pueblo y él no lo hizo'". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022. ... Morales nos decía que 'se debe gobernar escuchando al pueblo' y él lastimosamente no lo hizo.
27. "Elecciones Generales 2005 | Atlas Electoral". Plurinational Electoral Organ (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
28. "Elecciones Generales 2009 | Atlas Electoral". Plurinational Electoral Organ (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
29. "Elección de Alcaldes 2010 | Atlas Electoral". Plurinational Electoral Organ (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

Bibliography

• Informe al H. Congreso Nacional | Elecciones Generales 2005 (in Spanish). La Paz: National Electoral Court. 2005. p. 245.
• Romero Ballivián, Salvador (2018). Quiroga Velasco, Camilo Sergio (ed.). Diccionario Biográfico de Parlamentarios 1979–2019 (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). La Paz: Fundación de Apoyo al Parlamento y la Participación Ciudadana; Fundación Konrad Adenauer. pp. 534–535. ISBN   978-99974-0-021-5.

External links

• Ministerial profile El Deber (in Spanish).
• Opinion columns for Página Siete (in Spanish).