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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Paputsakis and the second or maternal family name is Burgos.

Patricia Paputsakis
Headshot of Patricia Paputsakis
Official portrait, 2014
Secretary of Women and Family of Tarija
In office
3 June 2015 – 23 July 2019
MayorRodrigo Paz
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMarysabel Romero
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
from Tarija circumscription 45
In office
14 August 2014 – 18 January 2015
SubstituteVacant
Preceded byVíctor Hugo Zamora
Succeeded byCircumscription abolished
ConstituencyCercado
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
from Tarija circumscription 45
Substitute
In office
25 January 2010 – 14 August 2014
DeputyVíctor Hugo Zamora
Preceded byMirtha Humerez
Succeeded byCircumscription abolished
ConstituencyCercado
Personal details
Born
Diana Patricia Paputsakis Burgos

(1986-04-23) 23 April 1986 (age 38)
Tarija, Bolivia
Political partyIndependent (2020–present)
Other political
affiliations
Alma materJuan Misael Saracho University
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • politician
SignatureCursive signature in ink

Diana Patricia Paputsakis Burgos (born 23 April 1986) is a Bolivian lawyer, politician, and former student leader who served as secretary of women and family of Tarija from 2015 to 2019. Prior to her service in the municipal government, Paputsakis served as a substitute member Chamber of Deputies from Tarija, representing circumscription 45 under Víctor Hugo Zamora from 2010 to 2014 on behalf of the National Convergence alliance. In the 2019 general election, Paputsakis was elected to represent Tarija's circumscription 40 on behalf of Civic Community, but never took office, owing to the annulment of the electoral results and the coalition's decision not to re-nominate her in 2020. Paputsakis later contested the 2021 Tarija mayoral election, finishing sixth in the polls.

Early life and career

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Patricia Paputsakis was born on 23 April 1986 in Tarija to Pedro Paputsakis Flores and Agueda Burgos Añasgo.[1] Through her father, she is of Greek descent; Constantino Paputsakis—her grandfather—immigrated to Buenos Aires from the Kingdom of Greece in 1910, later settling in Tarija.[2] Paputsakis was raised in a politically active family; her father, Pedro, represented the Revolutionary Left Front (FRI) in the Chamber of Deputies from 1979 to 1980 and 1982 to 1985 and in the Senate as a substitute senator from 1989 to 1993. Agueda Burgos also counted a political career, representing the FRI on the Tarija Municipal Council for three terms between 1987 and 1993.[3]

Paputsakis studied law and political science at Juan Misael Saracho University, graduating with a diploma in pedagogical theory and practice and another in gender violence and women's human rights. Additionally, she holds a master's in administration of justice with a specialty in child human rights and restorative criminal justice. During her time at university, she became active in student leadership, serving as a member and later executive of the Law School Student Center from 2006 to 2007.[1][4]

Chamber of Deputies

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Election

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Further information: 2009 Bolivian general election

As with many former student unionists, upon leaving university, Paputsakis sought to enter the political field, joining United to Renew (UNIR), the party of Tarija Mayor Oscar Montes. In 2009, as part of UNIR's alliance with National Convergence (CN), she was elected to represent Tarija's circumscription 45 in the Chamber of Deputies, serving as a substitute under Víctor Hugo Zamora. Aged 23, Paputsakis was one of the youngest legislators in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.[1][5]

Tenure

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Throughout her term, Paputsakis's work focused on projects in favor of Tarija's university system and legislation expanding administrative decentralization and departmental autonomy. Together with Zamora, she participated in drafting a total of forty-three bills, of which four passed into law. During this time, she also served as vice president of the Union of Women Parliamentarians.[6] In the leadup to the 2014 general election, Zamora resigned to run for higher office, allowing Paputsakis to assume office as the titular deputy for circumscription 45 for the remainder of her term.[7]

Commission assignments

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  • Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance Commission
    • Budget, Tax Policy, and Comptroller's Office Committee (2012–2013)[8]
  • Rural Native Indigenous Peoples and Nations, Cultures, and Interculturality Commission
    • Coca Leaf Committee (2013–2014)[9]
  • Amazon Region, Land, Territory, Water, Natural Resources, and Environment Commission
    • Environment, Climate Change, Protected Areas, and Forest Resources Committee (2014–2015)[10]

Later political career

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2015 municipal election

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Further information: 2015 Bolivian regional elections

In late 2014, nearing the conclusion of her term, Paputsakis was nominated by UNIR to run for a seat on the Tarija Municipal Council.[5] Throughout the campaign, Paputsakis's political prospects remained continually in doubt, given the legal ambiguity of her candidacy. In December, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) had issued a controversial ruling barring all legislators who held office in the outgoing legislature from running in the 2015 elections. The court argued that their permanent residence in the last two years had been La Paz and not other regions, contravening the Constitution's residency requirements for candidates.[11] The TSE's determination was opposed by ruling party and opposition parliamentarians alike, including Paputsakis, who stood to be disqualified despite only having spent a week a month in La Paz during her tenure.[12]

In January, the TSE opted to exclude substitute legislators from its ruling, reasoning that, on average, they resided more in their constituencies than their full-time counterparts.[13] Though this temporarily allowed Paputsakis to continue in the running, her candidacy remained mired by legal battles. Finally, on 19 March, just ten days before the election, the Departmental Electoral Tribunal of Tarija disqualified Paputsakis, stating that since she became a titular deputy following Zamora's resignation, she was subject to the TSE's ruling. The electoral authority's decision came in response to a "semi-anonymous suit" filed by Daniela Aspiazu, which El País interpreted as a "maneuver" born from UNIR's leader, Montes, who quickly moved to replace Paputsakis's name on the ballot with that of Ruth Ponce, his own wife. Ponce's sudden designation was understood to be a sign of simmering mistrust between Montes and his elected mayoral successor, Rodrigo Paz, with Paputsakis's deposition being the "first hostile act" in their eventual schism.[14][15][16]

Tarija Mayor's Office

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Shortly after assuming office, Paz established the Secretariat of Women and Family, appointing Paputsakis to head it on 3 June 2015.[17] Paputsakis's administration focused its efforts on combating violence against women and children across the Cercado Province. As outlined by Paputsakis, her office structured its work on two pillars: prevention and attention to cases. In prevention, the Secretariat collaborated with educational institutions and school psychologists to improve public understanding of subjects related to domestic violence, child sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy, and human trafficking, with the aim of reducing such problems.[18] In 2017, Paputsakis launched a family development program seeking to encourage assertive communication, dialogue, and respect between family members. As part of this, the Secretariat deployed Municipal Prevention Brigades in over seventy educational institutions, offering workshops to primary and secondary students to train them in recognizing signs of sexual abuse and violence by or between parents.[19][20]

Together with other social organizations, Paputsakis developed a municipal plan that united various institutions in combating excessive consumption of alcohol and illicit substances, especially by minors. The plan established an observatory on addictions and the supply of alcoholic beverages, expanded the amount of educational material on the matter, and launched a public campaign of prevention throughout the province.[21] The project made Tarija the first municipality to implement an alcohol and drug prevention plan, for which the municipal government was given the National Sobriety Award.[22]

Shortly thereafter, Paputsakis released a plan to reduce teenage pregnancies through three lines of action: comprehensive sexual education, promotion of sexual and reproductive rights, and the expansion of sexual and reproductive health.[23] By 2019, the project had reduced the rate of pregnancy among adolescents in Cercado to below eighteen percent, a significant development given that surrounding provinces often registered prevalence rates above fifty percent. The program's successes led the Secretariat to present its plan to the United Nations Population Fund.[24][25]

2019 legislative election

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Further information: 2019 Bolivian general election

When relations between Montes and Paz ultimately broke down, Paputsakis sided with the latter, joining his breakaway political party, First the People (PG).[25] As secretary, Paputsakis's public profile led her to be considered as a possible mayoral successor to Paz, should he not seek reelection.[26] Following Paz's decision to lend PG's support to the 2019 presidential campaign of his father, former president Jaime Paz Zamora, Paputsakis reluctantly added her endorsement.[5][27] When Paz Zamora withdrew from the race, Paputsakis accepted the invitation of Civic Community (CC) to be its candidate for deputy in Tarija's circumscription 40. The decision led Paputsakis to resign her position in the Mayor's Office, though she said there was no estrangement between herself and the mayor.[28][29] Ultimately, Paz also opted to support CC, with Paputsakis set to be PG's designated member of the legislature.[30][31] Though Paputsakis won her election,[4] subsequent social unrest over broader allegations of electoral fraud and the ensuing political crisis ultimately resulted in the annulment of the national election results, precluding Paputsakis from assuming office.[32] She was not re-nominated in the snap 2020 elections, with CC selecting trade unionist Edwin Rosas instead.[33]

2021 mayoral campaign

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Further information: 2021 Tarija municipal election

Paz's decision to forgo reelection in favor of presenting himself as a candidate for senator put PG in the difficult situation of finding a last-minute mayoral nominee, with Paputsakis discussed as a possible candidate.[34][35] Ultimately, the party failed to nominate anyone from among its own ranks, instead supporting the candidacy of Alan Echart, a member of Todos, Governor Adrián Oliva's party.[36][37] Given this, Paputsakis took the politically risky decision to launch her own solo campaign.[38] Her candidacy was facilitated by Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN) and Solidarity Civic Unity (UCS), forming the electoral alliance Sustainable Base for Tarija (BASTA). Paputsakis's campaign sought to present itself as a "new way of doing politics", nominating a slate of young newcomer political leaders on its list of municipal councillors.[39] "The participation of new, young people is necessary, as well as the incorporation of women with new proposals", she stated.[40] Her public policy plan proposed improving basic services, new environmental regulations, and economic reactivation through an alliance between the public and private sectors.[41] However, by the election date, Paputsakis's campaign had failed to garner substantial support; she attained just 2,032 votes, coming in sixth place in a seven-candidate race.[42]

Electoral history

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Year Office Party Alliance Votes Result Ref.
Total % P.
2009 Sub. Deputy United to Renew National Convergence 25,378 50.97% 1st Won [43]
2015 Councillor United to Renew None Disqualified Lost [14]
2019 Deputy First the People Civic Community 24,042 31.6% 1st Annulled [44]
2021 Mayor Independent Sustainable Base 2,032 1.45% 6th Lost [45]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, p. 238.
  2. ^ Quiroga, Irina (8 February 2015). "Los griegos en Bolivia y el reencuentro un siglo después". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  3. ^ Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 436.
  4. ^ a b "Datos al 100%: Diputados uninominales en Tarija se reparten entre CC y el MAS". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 21 October 2019. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Lindo, Elmira (19 November 2020). "La rebelión de la Paputsakis". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  6. ^ Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, pp. 160, 238.
  7. ^ "Posesionan a nuevos asambleístas". El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 14 August 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Comisiones y Comités: Periodo Legislativo 2012–2013". diputados.bo (in Spanish). Chamber of Deputies. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  9. ^ Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, p. 314.
  10. ^ Vargas & Villavicencio 2014, p. 311.
  11. ^ Staff writer (29 December 2014). Written at La Paz. "TSE ordena inhabilitar candidatura de legisladores". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Agencia de Noticias Fides. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  12. ^ Cantín, Jesús (23 December 2014). "Crece indignación por veto del TSE a ex parlamentarios". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  13. ^ "TSE avala exclusión de legisladores suplentes del veto a elecciones de marzo en medio de anuncios de procesos". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  14. ^ a b "A diez días de las elecciones continúan las inhabilitaciones de candidatos en Tarija". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  15. ^ Cantín, Jesús (26 July 2015). "UNIR en el escenario de crisis". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  16. ^ de Torres, Miguel V. (27 December 2015). "2015, entre fantasmas y puñaladas". El País. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  17. ^ Coca W., Marisol (3 June 2015). "Paz crea seis secretarías con más competencias y recursos". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  18. ^ Oliva, Manuel (6 September 2015). "Prevención de la violencia apunta a los más jóvenes". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Secretaría busca fortalecer lazos entre padres e hijos". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Prevención de la violencia sexual llegará a 70 colegios". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Gobierno Municipal inicia acciones para luchar contra la oferta y demanda de alcohol y otras drogas". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Alcaldía de Tarija obtuvo premio nacional de sobriedad 2017". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Municipio presentó primer plan municipal de prevención de embarazos adolescentes en Bolivia". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  24. ^ Cardona, Andrea (30 May 2018). "Desafíos legales y sociales de la maternidad adolescente". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  25. ^ a b Cantín, Jesús (25 March 2019). "Paputsakis: Nunca he buscado cargos, mi vocación es servir". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  26. ^ de Torres, Miguel V. (8 July 2018). "Suceder a Paz Pereira". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Alcalde de Tarija firma alianza política con su padre Jaime Paz". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 1 April 2019. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  28. ^ Staff writer (13 June 2019). Written at La Paz. "El exmandatario boliviano Paz Zamora renuncia a su candidatura presidencial". EFE (in Spanish). Madrid. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  29. ^ Cardona, Andrea (23 July 2019). "Los candidatos-funcionarios de Tarija renuncian pese a fallo del TCP". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  30. ^ "'Primero La Gente' de Paz apoyará al candidato Mesa". Nuevo Sur (in Spanish). Tarija. 26 July 2019. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Primero la Gente de Rodrigo Paz descarta alianzas locales con 'viejos líderes'". Info Tarija (in Spanish). 3 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  32. ^ "Senado aprueba nuevas elecciones en Bolivia, sin Morales". Voice of America (in Spanish). Washington D.C. 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  33. ^ Pérez, Lorena (5 February 2020). "Tarija: Convulsiona Fedjuve tras la renuncia del 'candidato' Edwin Rosas". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  34. ^ Silvia Trigo, Maria (3 February 2020). "El alcalde de Tarija va como candidato a primer senador por Comunidad Ciudadana". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  35. ^ Lindo, Elmira (14 June 2020). "Una vacancia en la Alcaldía de Cercado". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  36. ^ Morales Espíndola, Gabriel (7 December 2020). "Todos, FRI, Comunidad Ciudadana y PG sellan la alianza 'Comunidad de Todos'". elPeriódico (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  37. ^ Maygua, David (5 November 2020). "Tres candidatos se perfilan para la Alcaldía de Tarija". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  38. ^ "Patricia Paputsakis lanza su campaña a la Alcaldía de Tarija en solitario". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 27 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  39. ^ "'Basta' quiere constituirse en alternativa frente a lo "viejo"". Nuevo Sur (in Spanish). Tarija. 17 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Rumbo al 7M: Piden acabar con el 'síndrome de la mujer invisible'". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 'Es necesaria la participación de gente nueva, joven e incorporar mujeres con propuestas nuevas', dijo [Paputsakis] al momento de confirmar su candidatura.
  41. ^ Sol Coria, Ana (1 December 2020). "Patricia Paputsakis lanza su candidatura a la alcaldía de Tarija y propone su plan de gobierno". El País (in Spanish). Tarija. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  42. ^ "Publicación de Resultados, Primera Vuelta y Segunda Vuelta: Elección de Autoridades Políticas Departamentales, Regionales y Municipales 2021" (PDF). oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. 1 March 2021. p. 57. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  43. ^ "Elecciones Generales 2009 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  44. ^ "Publicación de Resultados Nacionales: Elecciones Generales 2019" (PDF). www.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). Plurinational Electoral Organ. 2019. pp. 14, 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  45. ^ "Elecciones Municipales 2021 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Retrieved 5 June 2022.

Bibliography

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