Bolivia Appoints First Indigenous President of Supreme Court

Justice Pastor Mamani became the first indigenous person in the history of Bolivia to occupy the post of president of the Supreme Court.

In a five to four vote Tuesday night, the sitting justices elected to have Mamani replace Jorge Von Borries, who stepped down in late October due to health concerns.

“After 500 years, for the first time in history an indigenous person occupies this high post that is the president of the Supreme Court. And that has to do with the structural changes that have occurred in the country," said Mamani.

Bolivians made history in 2005 when they elected Evo Morales as the first indigenous president in a country where nearly 60 percent of the population is indigenous — the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in the western hemisphere. He was most recently re-elected in October, 2014 and chose to hold a special inauguration ceremony at the pre-Colombian ruins of Tiwanaku.

The selection of Mamani as president of the Supreme Court marks yet another step forward for Bolivia, which is working to shed its colonial past.

Mamani said he would work to ensure he lives up to high expectations and that he will “always be in direct communication with his people and with the Indigenous peoples of this country.”

The newly elected head of the Supreme Court also said he would focus on the important tasks of the post and the challenge before the entire justice system, which like other political institutions, is undergoing a major overhaul as part of the broader political project led by President Evo Morales.

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​"Our work is crucial to change the negative image that justice has among Bolivians,” said Mamani.

In Bolivia, the justices of the Supreme Court are elected for six-year mandates. Justice Mamani will serve as president of the Supreme Court for two years, the remainder of his term.