| First Lady of Bolivia | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
Incumbent since 8 November 2020Lourdes Brigida Durán Romero | |
| Residence | Palacio Quemado,La Paz |
| Inaugural holder | Manuela Sáenz |
| Formation | 12 August 1825 |
TheFirst Lady orFirst Gentleman of Bolivia (Spanish:Primera Dama o Primer Caballero de Bolivia) is the title usually attributed to the wife or husband of thepresident of Bolivia, or official designee in place of a spouse. She or he fulfills officialprotocol functions when accompanying the president.
The position of First Lady of Bolivia is currently held by Lourdes Brigida Durán Romero, wife of PresidentLuis Arce, since he assumed the presidency on 8 November 2020.
Manuela Sáenz, an Ecuadorian-born and domestic partner of Bolivian independence leader and PresidentSimón Bolívar, is considered the inaugural First Lady of Bolivia. Since Independence of Bolivia in 12 August 1825 to Bolívar having renounced the title on 29 December 1825.
PresidentLidia Gueiler Tejada, Bolivia's first femalehead of state, was divorced at the time of her tenure in office (1979–1980), so the position remained vacant.[1] She had previously been married twice, first to Mareirian Pérez-Ramírez, a Paraguayan soldier and wealthyrancher, and then to a Bolivian named Edwin Möller Pacieri, but both marriages ended in divorce.[1]
More recently, former PresidentEvo Morales, who was unmarried, selected his older sister,Esther Morales, as his designee for the role of First Lady during his tenure as president, beginning in 2006.[2] Evo Morales later reversed his own decision and dismissed the official title of first lady as "insulting to women" in 2013, to the disappointment of Esther Morales.[3][4] Esther Morales continued to participate in public roles, such as official foreign trips, before withdrawing from public life.[4] She died on August 16, 2020, after contractingCOVID-19 during thepandemic in Bolivia.[4]
Héctor Hincapié Carvajal, aColombian politician and second husband of PresidentJeanine Áñez, became Bolivia's earliest First Gentleman in its history when Áñez assumed the interim presidency on November 12, 2019.[5][6]