Rubén Callisaya | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2014 | |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies fromLa Paz | |
| In office 19 January 2010 – 18 January 2015 | |
| Substitute | Lidia Paucara(2010–2014)[α] |
| Preceded by | Claudia Paredes |
| Succeeded by | María Eugenia Calcina |
| Constituency | Party list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donato Rubén Callisaya Mayta (1961-05-24)24 May 1961 (age 64) Coripata, La Paz, Bolivia |
| Party | Movement for Socialism(since 1999) |
| Alma mater | Higher University of San Andrés |
| Occupation |
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Donato Rubén Callisaya Mayta (born 24 May 1961) is a Bolivian politician and trade unionist who served as aparty-list member of theChamber of Deputies fromLa Paz from 2010 to 2015.
Callisaya was born inCoripata, a predominantly agricultural settlement dedicated tococa cultivation, and moved tothe capital to attend secondary school. He abandoned law studies at theHigher University of San Andrés to pursue a career at theNational State Railroad Company [es], where he worked for twelve years between 1985 until theenterprise'sprivatization [es] in 1996.
Following his dismissal, Callisaya established himself as ashare taxi driver in urban La Paz. He joined thedepartment's drivers' federation and assumed positions of union leadership: secretary of conflicts from 1999 to 2002, then general secretary from 2003 to 2006. A member of theMovement for Socialism, Callisaya suffered two electoral defeats before being appointed counselor to the La Pazprefecture in 2008. He won a seat in the Chamber of Deputiesthe following year and was not nominated for reelection.
Rubén Callisaya was born on 24 May 1961 inCoripata,[2] anAymara settlement in theNor Yungas Province of easternLa Paz Department. The area is known for itscoca cultivation:[3] Callisaya's father, Eulogio, was acocalero who made a living as acarrier.[4] He made regular trips through the treacherousYungas trail route – better known as "Death Road" – to make cargo deliveries.[5] Cristina Mayta, Rubén's mother, was an esteemedmerchant in their community.[2]
Callisaya attended school in Coripata, where he studied through seventh-grade primary. He moved toLa Paz to pursue secondary education, attending the Gualberto Villarroel School – an institute noted for catering to the country's rural migrant youth.[6][β] He paused his studies after receiving hisbaccalaureate [es] to focus on work and later took them back up at theHigher University of San Andrés, where he studied law andpolitical science for two years.[8]
Callisaya worked as a railroad worker at theNational State Railroad Company [es] for the better part of twelve years between 1985 and 1996.[9] He was dismissed after theenterprise wasprivatized [es] during the administration ofGonzalo Sánchez de Lozada[6] – one of hundreds of workers who lost employment as the company was gutted by foreignconsortiums.[10]
Forced into early retirement, Callisaya found self-employment as adriver for hire. Using funds from hisseverance package, he purchased twominibuses, which he operated asshare taxis.[5] He joined the 1 May Departmental Federation of Drivers of La Paz shortly thereafter and gained a foothold inunion politics as the organization's secretary of conflicts from 1999 to 2002.[11] He went on to hold a succession of union posts through the early 2000s, capped by his election as general secretary of the Christ of May Mixed Transport Union in 2003 to 2006.[4]
Callisaya became acquainted withleft-wing political movements during his service in therail industry. Already before his time as a union leader, he had received overtures to join theRevolutionary Left Movement, but talks never panned out.[5] In 1999, he became affiliated with theMovement for Socialism (MAS), which established a long-term accord with the nation's drivers' unions.[12][γ] His dual nominations for a seat in theChamber of Deputies in the2002 election – on the MAS'selectoral list and as asubstitute insingle-member circumscription 7 alongside future lawmakerCristina Rojas – both failed, as did his candidacy for the La Paz Municipal Council in 2004, where the MAS won threecouncillors while Callisaya was fourth on the list.[15]
Financial constraints prevented Callisaya from running for office in the2005 election.[5] He gained his first political position in 2008 when – following therecall of PrefectJosé Luis Paredes [es] and the appointment ofPablo Ramos [es] – he was made departmental counselor to theprefecture, representingMurillo Province.[16][δ] His term kept him in good standing with the department's drivers' unions, who, in 2009, selected him as their representative inparliament.[18] He was the lowest-ranked candidate on the MAS's parliamentary list in the La Paz Department to win a seat.[19]
Callisaya served the length of his term on the Industry, Commerce, Transport, and Tourism Committee and was leader of the MAS delegation in La Paz Department from 2012 to 2013.[2] He took part in the elaboration and passage of the General Law on Transport, a landmark piece of legislation for members of the transportation sector.[20]
At the same time, Callisaya's term was rocked by scandal over his ties to the "Narco-Lebanese" Georges Chafic, a Lebanon-borndual national caughtsmuggling some 390 kilograms (860 lb) ofcocaine. Per his own account, Callisaya met Chafic – a member of the MAS – through colleague deputySamuel Pamuri; the pair granted Chafic permits to use official vehicles and even suggested him for a diplomatic role, given hisLebanese language fluency.[21] The controversy led some in the MAS to seek the two lawmakers' suspension or even expulsion from office.[22]
Callisaya was not nominated for reelection at the end of his term. In general, the seats afforded to the drivers' unions belonged to the sector at-large, as opposed to any single individual. Rarely were incumbents re-nominated: preference among the organizations was to rotate out their representatives.[23] Union executiveFranklin Durán – whom Callisaya had lobbied be nominated forSenate – instead succeeded him as the drivers' member for La Paz.[24]
| Year | Office | Party | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | ||||||
| 2002 | Deputy | Movement for Socialism | Disqualified | Lost | [ε] | |||
| Movement for Socialism | 6,910 | 12.20% | 4th | Lost | [28] | |||
| 2004 | Councillor | Movement for Socialism | 74,563 | 19.88% | 2nd | Lost | [29][ζ] | |
| 2009 | Deputy | Movement for Socialism | 1,099,259 | 80.28% | 1st | Won | [30][ζ] | |
| Source:Plurinational Electoral Organ |Electoral Atlas | ||||||||
Online and list sources
Digital and print publications
Books and encyclopedias
| Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theChamber of Deputies fromLa Paz 2010–2015 | Succeeded by |
