Government Junta of Bolivia (1861) facts for kids

José María de Achá, a member of the junta, was elected president by the National Constituent Assembly

The Government Junta of Bolivia (Spanish: Junta de Gobierno), officially known as the Governmental Junta of the Republic (Spanish: Junta Gubernativa de la República), or also as the Governmental Junta Charged with Supreme Command of the Nation (Spanish: Junta Gubernativa Encargada del Mando Supremo de la Nación), was a civil-military junta which ruled Bolivia from 14 January to 4 May 1861. It was chaired by a triumvirate of three men; two Bolivians and one Argentine: José María de Achá, Manuel Antonio Sánchez, and Ruperto Fernández, all of whom came to power after a coup d'état which ousted the government of José María Linares, the very president they had previously served under. The junta was dissolved on 4 May 1861 when the National Constituent Assembly elected Achá as the provisional president.

History

1861 coup d'état

On 14 January 1861, Ruperto Fernández and José María de Achá, ministers of state in the government and war portfolios, joined by Prefect of La Paz Manuel Antonio Sánchez, rebelled against the president they had been serving under, launching a coup d'état which ousted José María Linares. In their manifesto to the nation, the newly formed junta justified its actions as a "regenerative revolution" against the dictatorship President Linares had imposed in 1858.

National Constituent Assembly

Immediately on 15 January 1861, the junta released the call for the convocation of a constituent assembly. The legislature was tasked with drafting a new constitution, the seventh such charter in Bolivian history, and was to elect a provisional president from among the triumvirs. Legislative elections were carried out in what was considered to be a generally democratic manner, resulting in the establishment of a multi-party assembly with members "from all walks of life". Upon its installation at the Loreto chapel on 1 May, the junta officially ceased its executive functions and transferred them to the assembly, chaired by Adolfo Ballivián. The same day, the assembly redelegated command to the junta until it could finish deliberating on who would lead the provisional government.

Considering that Sánchez had died in April, the assembly was given the choice between Achá and Fernández. The fact that Fernández was of Argentine origin was a factor taken into account and the assembly opted to declare him Bolivian by birth. Nonetheless, on 4 May, the assembly elected Achá provisional president by a vote of 860–16.

Composition

Quick facts for kids Cabinet of the Governmental Junta Junta-Achá Cabinet
25th Cabinet of the Bolivian Republic
1861
Date formed	21 January 1861
Date dissolved	4 May 1861 (3 months, 1 week and 6 days)
People and organisations
Chairman	José María de Achá Ruperto Fernández Manuel Antonio Sánchez
No. of ministers	5
History
Election(s)	1861 legislative
Legislature term(s)	1861–1862 Constituent National Assembly
Predecessor	Cabinet of José María Linares
Successor	Cabinet of José María de Achá

Structural changes

See also

In Spanish: Junta Gubernativa de 1861 para niños