David Choquehuanca facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Excellent David Choquehuanca MROU OSP
Official portrait, 2020
39th Vice President of Bolivia
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 November 2020
President	Luis Arce
Preceded by	Álvaro García Linera
Secretary General of ALBA
In office 5 March 2017 – 15 November 2019
Preceded by	Bernardo Álvarez
Succeeded by	Sacha Llorenti
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 23 January 2006 – 23 January 2017
President	Evo Morales
Preceded by	Armando Loaiza
Succeeded by	Fernando Huanacuni
Personal details
Born	David Choquehuanca Céspedes (1961-05-07) 7 May 1961 (age 64) Cota Cota Baja, La Paz, Bolivia
Political party	Movement for Socialism
Spouse	Lidia Gutiérrez
Alma mater	Simón Bolívar Higher Teacher Training School Niceto Pérez Cadre Training School
Occupation	Diplomat politician
Signature

David Choquehuanca Céspedes (born 7 May 1961) is a Bolivian diplomat and politician. He is currently the 39th vice president of Bolivia, a role he has held since 2020. He is a member of the Movement for Socialism political party.

Before becoming vice president, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2017. He also served as the Secretary General of ALBA, a group of Latin American and Caribbean countries, from 2017 to 2019.

David Choquehuanca is from the Aymara indigenous group. He grew up in a small town called Cota Cota Baja. He became involved in the peasant labor movement, which works for the rights of farmers. There, he met Evo Morales, who would later become president. Together, they helped create the Movement for Socialism party.

As Foreign Minister, Choquehuanca worked to improve Bolivia's relationships with other countries. He held this position for eleven years, which is the longest time anyone has been foreign minister in Bolivia's history. In 2020, he was elected Vice President alongside President Luis Arce.

About David Choquehuanca

His Early Life and Schooling

David Choquehuanca was born on May 7, 1961. His hometown is Cota Cota Baja, a small village near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. He is part of the Aymara indigenous group.

He learned to speak his native Aymara first. He started learning Spanish when he was seven years old. His father, Nicolás Choquehuanca, was an important leader for farmers in their area. He taught David about farming, weaving, and fishing.

David went to primary school in his village. Later, he moved to Huarina for secondary school and finished in 1980. In school, he learned about Marxist ideas from his philosophy teacher. These ideas inspired him to want to change society. He even helped start his school's first students' union and took part in student protests.

After school, he studied philosophy in La Paz. He also received a scholarship to study in Havana, Cuba, where he learned about philosophy and economics. He later studied history and anthropology at a university in Bolivia. In 2002, he earned a diploma in indigenous rights.

Working for Farmers' Rights

In the 1980s, David Choquehuanca became very active in the peasant labor movement. This movement works to improve the lives of farmers and rural workers. He took part in many strikes and meetings for workers' rights.

In 1984, he met Evo Morales, who was also a farmer activist. They worked together to create a political group that would represent farmers. This group later became the Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP) party. They organized a big event called "500 Years of Resistance." About seventy thousand indigenous people joined this protest. It showed the growing power of indigenous movements in politics.

From 1998 to 2005, Choquehuanca led the Nina Program. This was an organization that trained leaders for the indigenous peasant movement. He also advised many indigenous groups and leaders, including Evo Morales. Even though he was offered political jobs, like running for mayor or senator, he often turned them down. He felt his heart was more with the grassroots movement than with traditional politics.

Becoming Foreign Minister

After Evo Morales was elected president in 2005, he chose David Choquehuanca to be his Minister of Foreign Affairs. This was a very important job. Choquehuanca was the first indigenous person to hold this position in Bolivia's history.

He served as foreign minister for eleven years, from 2006 to 2017. This was the longest time anyone had held that job in Bolivia. During this time, he became one of President Morales's most trusted officials. He was seen as a very important figure in the government, after Morales and Vice President Álvaro García Linera.

As foreign minister, Choquehuanca focused on promoting indigenous culture and ideas on the world stage. He helped Bolivia strengthen its relationships with other countries, especially those in Latin America. He also led Bolivia's case against Chile at The Hague over access to the Pacific Ocean.

Over time, there were some disagreements within the government. Some people saw Choquehuanca as a possible future president. This caused some tension between him and President Morales. In January 2017, he was replaced as foreign minister. After that, he was appointed as the Secretary General of the Bolivarian Alliance (ALBA), a diplomatic role.

Becoming Vice President

In 2019, President Evo Morales left office. New elections were planned for 2020. David Choquehuanca was seen as a strong candidate for president by many social groups and farmer organizations. They wanted him to be the next leader of the Movement for Socialism party.

However, Evo Morales, who was living outside Bolivia at the time, chose Luis Arce to be the presidential candidate. David Choquehuanca was then chosen as Arce's running mate for vice president. Some groups were not happy with this decision, as they had supported Choquehuanca for president. But Choquehuanca asked everyone to support Arce's nomination to avoid disagreements within the party.

The Arce-Choquehuanca team won the 2020 election with a large number of votes. David Choquehuanca became the Vice President of Bolivia in November 2020. He is the second indigenous vice president in the country's history. Since becoming vice president, he has gained more influence within his party. Many people still see him as a potential future presidential candidate.

Electoral History

David Choquehuanca has been part of an election for a major office once:

Awards and Honors

Being decorated with the Order of the Sun of Peru.

David Choquehuanca has received special awards from other countries:

Award or decoration		Country	Date	Ref.
	Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay	Uruguay	2006
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru	Peru	2010

See also

In Spanish: David Choquehuanca para niños