Misplaced Pages

Iris Flores
President of the El Alto Municipal Council
In office 4 May 2021 – 4 May 2022
Mayor	Eva Copa
Vice President	Daniel Ramos
Preceded by	Antioco Cala
Succeeded by	Rogelio Maldonado
Personal details
Born	Iris Alexsandra Flores Quispe (2000-08-29) 29 August 2000 (age 24) El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia
Political party	Jallalla La Paz
Alma mater	Public University of El Alto
Signature

Iris Alexsandra Flores Quispe (born 29 August 2000) is a Bolivian politician and university student who served as president of the El Alto Municipal Council from 2021 to 2022. A member of Jallalla La Paz, she gained notoriety for being among the youngest authorities in the country, assuming the presidency of Bolivia's second most populous municipality at just twenty years of age.

Early life and education

Iris Flores was born on 29 August 2000 in El Alto, La Paz. A lifelong resident of the city, in 2019, she entered the Public University of El Alto (UPEA) seeking a degree in education sciences. While still a student, in 2021, she was nominated by the Jallalla La Paz civic group as a candidate for councillor for El Alto in order to serve as a representative for the UPEA on the city's Municipal Council. Her candidacy was facilitated by Eva Copa, Jallalla's mayoral candidate, as part of her initiative of prioritizing the political empowerment of women and the inclusion of young professionals in politics.

El Alto Municipal councillor

On 4 May 2021, by a vote of seven to three, Flores was elected president of the El Alto Municipal Council, assuming the second-highest position in Bolivia's second most populous city at just twenty years of age. In her first interview with the press, Flores thanked her fellow councillors for their "vote of confidence in me" and stated that she felt "lucky to represent the youth of my city". She went on to highlight improving education and tackling the health crisis as the council's immediate priorities.

Though her election was generally met with positive reception, Flores' lack of professional or even academic credentials was a topic of some controversy. In the first few days of her term, allegations that her election to the presidency of the council was only due to being Copa's niece circulated on social networks, though the mayor later denied any familial connection between the two. Copa went on articulate that Flores deserved to be "give the benefit of the doubt" and condemned those trying to "defame" her. Despite the lack of a familial relationship, Flores nonetheless remained a staunch ally of Copa and, when the latter was expelled from Jallalla, she was among the six of eight Jallalla councillors who maintained their support for the mayor, forming the so-called "RenuEva" bloc in the Municipal Council.

Per Article 21 Section II of the municipal council's regulations, the council directive is renewed on a yearly basis, with the presidency and secretariat corresponding to the majority party while the vice presidency corresponds to the minority. Upon the completion of Flores' term, the Renueva caucus evaluated whether or not to ratify her in her position or elect a new authority. Ultimately, the majority bloc decided that Flores would not be maintained in office, with Councillor Rogelio Maldonado being designated to succeed her. On 4 May 2022, in her final act as president, Flores convened the session in which the new directive of the municipal council was to be elected. Per a report by El Alteño, Flores "showed some nervousness and did not command the session with skill dexterity", lending a sense that "something was wrong" among the social leaders in attendance. Upon its installment, the opposition nominated Víctor Contreras—one of the two anti-Copa Jallalla councillors—to preside over the council, while the Renueva bloc presented Maldonado. In an unexpected turn of events, Contreras was elected by a six vote majority—including his own—having attained the support of the minority Movement for Socialism, the other anti-Copa Jallalla councillor, as well as Cristian Estévez, until then aligned with the Renueva caucus.

The coup de grâce drew the ire of the social leaders attending the event. Amid protests and accusations of "fraud", Flores was forced to suspend the session, thus preventing Contreras from being sworn in. The unrest quickly erupted into violence, with opposing sides coming to blows. The chaos forced a police contingent to restrict access to the theater in which the election was being held; even Contreras and Estévez were not allowed back in because they did not have their credentials on hand. Within the theater, Flores reconvened the session despite the presence of just six of the eleven councillors. This time, Maldonado was elected, with Flores swearing in the new directive on the spot, thus bringing her term to a definitive end.

Electoral history

References

Notes

1. Flores pertains to a majority faction of Jallalla aligned with Mayor Eva Copa, referring to themselves as the Renueva caucus.
2. Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.

Footnotes

1. ^ "Esta semana se define el futuro de Iris Flores". El Alteño (in Spanish). 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
2. "Iris Flores será la presidenta más joven del Concejo Municipal de El Alto". T informas Bolivia (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022. Flores was born on 29 August 2000 .
3. ^ "Iris Flores de 20 años de edad es la presidenta del Concejo Municipal de El Alto". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
4. "Iris Flores de 20 años de edad asume como Presidenta del Concejo Municipal de El Alto". El Potosí (in Spanish). Erbol. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
5. Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (2 March 2021). "Conozca a los candidatos a concejales que acompañan a Copa y Maquera en El Alto". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022. She is a university student. Study the career of educational sciences. Represents the Public University of El Alto.
6. ^ Sanabria, Ghilka (4 May 2021). "El Concejo de El Alto elige como presidenta a Iris Flores, universitaria de 20 años". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
7. ^ Alejo, Guido (12 May 2021). "Sobre 'dedazos' y 'meritocracia', la construcción de un imaginario de cualificación de liderazgos alteños". El Alto Digital (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
8. "Copa niega parentesco con Iris Flores y ve discriminación al subalcalde 'Mister Yo'". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
9. "Articulan bancada de Renueva y Jallalla se debilita en el Concejo". El Alteño (in Spanish). 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
10. "Contreras logra seis votos pero 'no fue posesionado'". El Alteño (in Spanish). 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022. ... la gente comenzaba a presentir que 'algo andaba mal' ya que la presidencia del concejo Iris Flores, mostraba cierto nerviosismo y no comandaba la sesión con habilidad destreza ... .
11. "Copa mantiene el control del Concejo en medio de peleas". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
12. "Elección de Alcaldes 2021 | Atlas Electoral". Plurinational Electoral Organ (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

• 2000 births
• Living people
• 21st-century Bolivian politicians
• 21st-century Bolivian women politicians
• Jallalla La Paz politicians
• People from El Alto