Andrea Bonilla | |
|---|---|
_Chamber_of_Deputies_of_Bolivia.jpg) Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies fromLa Paz | |
| In office 18 January 2015 – 3 November 2020 | |
| Substitute | Pedro Choque |
| Preceded by | Julia Figueredo |
| Succeeded by | Soledad Pérez |
| Constituency | Party list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Celia Andrea Bonilla Gemio (1978-08-04)4 August 1978 (age 46) Caranavi,La Paz, Bolivia |
| Political party | Movement for Socialism |
| Occupation |
|
| Signature | _Andrea_Bonilla.svg) |
Celia Andrea Bonilla Gemio (born 4 August 1978) is a Bolivian agricultural worker, politician, and trade unionist who served as aparty-list member of theChamber of Deputies fromLa Paz from 2015 to 2020. An ethnicAfro-Bolivian, Bonilla's career got its start in northern La Paz's agrarian trade unions, where she held positions as an executive and women's representative. Her prominence there aided in her nomination on theMovement for Socialism's 2014 party list, through which she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. As a legislator, Bonilla holds the distinction of being the first Afro-Bolivian woman in Bolivian parliamentary history to serve in the lower chamber. She is, together withAncelma Perlacios, one of the first two Afro-Bolivian women in parliament, and is one of just three overall, afterJorge Medina.
Andrea Bonilla was born on 4 August 1978 inCaranavi, capital of thenamesake province in the tropicalYungas region ofLa Paz.[1] Bonilla spent much of her early life involved inagricultural work before becoming active in the region's agrarian trade syndicates. She served as executive secretary of a workers' federation in neighboringTeoponte Municipality, later joining the Departmental Federation of Intercultural Communities of La Paz, the leading union representing the department's agricultural settlers.[2] Bonilla held office as the organization's women's representative until around 2014,[3][4] the year she was elected to theChamber of Deputies.[2]
Prominent leaders and representatives of agrarian and rural syndicates had long been a mainstay on the governingMovement for Socialism (MAS)'selectoral lists.[2] In 2014, in particular, women trade unionists of rural backgrounds were given an increased presence, an action that produced the largest caucus of peasant women elected to parliament in Bolivian history. Included among this group was Bonilla,[5] one of threeAfro-Bolivian candidates on the ballot that election cycle, alongsideAncelma Perlacios andMónica Rey.[6]
Entering parliament, Bonilla became the first female member of the Afro-Bolivian community to serve in the Chamber of Deputies[2] and was the second overall, afterJorge Medina, who represented La Paz inthe previous legislature.[7] She was one of the first two black women to hold a seat in parliament, a distinction she shares with Ancelma Perlacios, who was sworn into the Senate on the same day. They are, together, the most recent Afro-Bolivians represented in the legislature.[8] At the conclusion of their terms, neither were nominated for reelection, be it in theannulled 2019 election or thererun 2020 contest.[9][10]
| Year | Office | Party | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | ||||||
| 2014 | Deputy | Movement for Socialism | 1,006,433 | 68.92% | 1st | Won | [16][α] | |
| Source:Plurinational Electoral Organ |Electoral Atlas | ||||||||
| Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theChamber of Deputies fromLa Paz 2015–2020 | Succeeded by |
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