Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora;
Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Hugo BANZER Suarez;
Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada;
Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jorge AGREDO;
Free Bolivia Movement (MBL), led by Antonio ARANIBAR;
United Left (IU), a coalition of leftist parties which includes
Patriotic National Convergency Axis (EJE-P) led by Walter DELGADILLO,
and Bolivian Communist Party (PCB) led by Humberto RAMIREZ;
Conscience of the Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles;
Revolutionary Vanguard-9th of April (VR-9), Carlos SERRATE Reich;
Civic Union Solidarity (UCS), Max FERNANDEZ
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 (married) or 21 (single)
_#_Elections:
President—last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993); results—Gonzalo SANCHEZ de Lozada (MNR) 23%, Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN) 22%, Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) 19%; no candidate received a majority of the popular vote; Jaime PAZ Zamora (MIR) formed a coalition with Hugo BANZER (ADN); with ADN support PAZ Zamora won the congressional runoff election on 4 August and was inaugurated on 6 August 1989;
Senate—last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993); results—percent of vote NA; seats (27 total) MNR 9, ADN 7, MIR 8, CONDEPA 2, PDC 1;
Chamber of Deputies—last held 7 May 1989 (next to be held May 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats (130 total) MNR 40, ADN 35, MIR 33, IU 10, CONDEPA 9, PDC 3
_#_Member of: AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jorge CRESPO; Chancery at 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483–4410 through 4412; there are Bolivian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco;
US—Ambassador Robert S. GELBARD; Embassy at Banco Popular del Peru
Building, corner of Calles Mercado y Colon, La Paz (mailing address is
P. O. Box 425, La Paz, or APO Miami 34032); telephone [591] (2)
350251 or 350120
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band
_*Economy #_Overview: The Bolivian economy steadily deteriorated between 1980 and 1985 as La Paz financed growing budget deficits by expanding the money supply and inflation spiraled—peaking at 11,700%. An austere orthodox economic program adopted by newly elected President Paz Estenssoro in 1985, however, succeeded in reducing inflation to between 10% and 20% annually since 1987, eventually restarting economic growth. President Paz Zamora has retained the economic policies of the previous government, keeping inflation down and continuing the moderate growth begun under his predecessor. Nevertheless, Bolivia continues to be one of the poorest countries in Latin America, and it remains vulnerable to price fluctuations for its limited exports—agricultural products, minerals, and natural gas. Moreover, for many farmers, who constitute half of the country's work force, the main cash crop is coca, which is sold for cocaine processing.
_#_GDP: $4.85 billion, per capita $690; real growth rate 2.7% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 21.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $2.5 billion; expenditures $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $850 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $927 million (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—metals 45%, natural gas 30%, other 25% (coffee, soybeans, sugar, cotton, timber);
partners—US 15%, Argentina
_#_Imports: $716 million (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—food, petroleum, consumer goods, capital goods;
partners—US 22%
_#_External debt: $3.7 billion (December 1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1990); accounts for almost 30% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 833,000 kW capacity; 1,763 million kWh produced, 260 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverage, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing; illicit drug industry reportedly produces significant revenues
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 20% of GDP (including forestry and fisheries); principal commodities—coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, timber; self-sufficient in food
_#_Illicit drugs: world's second-largest producer of coca (after Peru) with an estimated 51,900 hectares under cultivation; government considers all but 12,000 hectares illicit; intermediate coca products and cocaine exported to or through Colombia and Brazil to the US and other international drug markets
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–89), $990 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $1.7 billion; Communist countries (1970–89), $340 million
_#_Currency: boliviano (plural—bolivianos); 1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos
_#_Exchange rates: bolivianos ($B) per US$1—3.3732 (December 1990), 3.1727 (1990), 2.6917 (1989), 2.3502 (1988), 2.0549 (1987), 1.9220 (1986), 0.4400 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 3,675 km total; 3,643 km 1.000-meter gauge and 32 km 0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track
_#_Highways: 38,836 km total; 1,300 km paved, 6,700 km gravel, 30,836 km improved and unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways
_#_Pipelines: crude oil 1,800 km; refined products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km
_#_Ports: none; maritime outlets are Arica and Antofagasta in Chile and Matarani in Peru
_#_Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,051 GRT/22,155 DWT
_#_Civil air: 56 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 807 total, 659 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 120 with runways 1,220–2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: radio relay system being expanded; improved international services; 144,300 telephones; stations—129 AM, no FM, 43 TV, 68 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Bolivian Army, Bolivian Navy (including Marines), Bolivian Air Force, National Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 1,679,352; 1,091,368 fit for military service; 72,979 reach military age (19) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $162 million, 4% of GNP (1988 est.) % @Botswana *Geography #_Total area: 600,370 km2; land area: 585,370 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
_#_Land boundaries: 4,013 km total; Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Disputes: short section of the boundary with Namibia is indefinite; quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement
_#_Climate: