Polls & Research
Archive Search
Almost Half of Bolivians OK with Lazarte
- Many adults in Bolivia express satisfaction with the president of the National Constituent Assembly, according to a poll by Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado. 47 per cent of respondents approve of Silvia Lazarte's performance.
On Jul. 2, Bolivian voters elected 210 representatives to the National Constituent Assembly. Local governments appointed 45 more to complete the group that will re-write the country's constitution. Movement to Socialism (MAS) members secured 135 of the 210 elected seats, followed by We Can (Podemos) with 60 legislators.
On Jul. 29, MAS member Lazarte was nominated as president of the Constituent Assembly. Bolivian president Hugo Morales endorsed Lazarte, declaring, "Our colleague has been in many protests, and has been repressed, detained, and processed. Women should actively participate in the creation of a new Bolivia."
On Aug. 6, the National Constituent Assembly, tasked with re-writing Bolivia's constitution, held its first session. The assembly can sit for one year, and its proposed body of law must be approved by two-thirds of the 255 lawmakers, and then ratified in a nationwide referendum.
On Sept. 1, Lazarte blamed We Can lawmakers for indirectly causing MAS member Román Loayza to fall and hurt himself during a National Constituent Assembly session, saying, "They were shouting and screaming like little kids." MAS members have since called for doing away with the two-thirds consensus and opting for a simple majority in order to pass motions.
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of Silvia Lazarte's performance as president of the National Constituent Assembly?
Approve | 47% |
Disapprove | 29% |
Not sure | 24% |
Source: Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado
Methodology: Interviews with 1,032 Bolivian adults in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, conducted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 21, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.