Bolivia Constitutional Reform: Everyone Wants It, Except President Paz
Bolivia · Politics
Key Facts
- —The reality check As of mid-August 2026, President Rodrigo Paz’s government has not tabled a formal bill to rewrite the constitution; the loudest reform voices are his rivals.
- —The recall gambit Deputy Carlos Alarcon floated an ‘extraordinary recall referendum’ to unseat the president, vice president and lawmakers within 90 days; the Vice Presidency called it ‘openly unconstitutional.’
- —The blueprint Businessman Samuel Doria Medina’s 11-point plan would scrap presidential re-election, end the popular election of judges and abolish the Plurinational Constitutional Court, all without a Constituent Assembly.
- —The opposition Former president Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga, who leads the Libre alliance, fights Paz’s decrees in congress and the courts rather than drafting a new charter.
- —What Paz chases instead On August 12, 2026, he said he had already sat down with Javier Milei and Santiago Pena to build a regional energy ‘pool’ from Bolivia’s Chaco.
While rivals trade blueprints for a new charter, Paz is spending his energy elsewhere. Chasing a regional power deal with Argentina’s Milei and Paraguay’s Pena.
Talk of a Bolivia constitutional reform is suddenly everywhere, from congress floor speeches to campaign-style op-eds. Yet the one person you might expect to lead it, President Rodrigo Paz, is not the one pushing.
Nine months into his term, the loudest voices for change belong to his opponents.
What a Bolivia constitutional reform would actually change
Bolivia’s current charter dates from 2009, written under Evo Morales to enshrine a state-led, plurinational model. So any serious rewrite touches the core of how the country is run.
The ideas now in play cluster around three areas. They are the courts, presidential re-election, and how far the state can limit private investment.
The man in charge is looking the other way
Here is the surprise. Paz, sworn in on November 8, 2025 as Bolivia’s first center-right president in a generation, is not leading a charter rewrite.
Instead his 2026 agenda leans on ordinary laws and decrees. He is reworking the hydrocarbons framework and pitching Bolivia as a regional energy hub, all within the constitution he inherited.
Carlos Alarcon and the recall gambit
The most dramatic idea came from Carlos Alarcon, a national deputy. In 2026 he proposed an ‘extraordinary recall referendum’ to be held within 90 days.
It would have let voters remove the president, vice president and assembly members at once. As a supposed exit from the political crisis.
The Vice Presidency rejected it fast, calling the plan ‘openly unconstitutional.
Samuel Doria Medina’s 11-point blueprint
The most detailed plan belongs to businessman and veteran politician Samuel Doria Medina. His proposal lists 11 constitutional changes that skip a full Constituent Assembly.
Among them: ending presidential re-election in all its forms, scrapping the popular election of judges. Abolishing the Plurinational Constitutional Court, and setting a floor of 2% of GDP for the justice budget.
It also loosens rules that limit private investment, while keeping natural resources strategic.
Tuto Quiroga fights the decrees, not the charter
Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga, interim president in 2001 and 2002, lost the 2025 runoff to Paz. He now leads the opposition Libre alliance.
So far his fight is tactical, not constitutional. Libre challenges Paz’s decrees in the assembly and through unconstitutionality suits, rather than presenting its own new charter.
Where Vice President Lara actually fits
The tie to reform that many people assume runs through Vice President Edman Lara turns out to be looser than it sounds. On the campaign trail in 2025 he did call for constitutional changes, mostly to toughen penalties for corruption and serious crime.
In office, though, his energy has gone elsewhere. He is feuding with Paz over a decree that trimmed his own powers.
And he has pushed ordinary bills to curb what he calls unconstitutional presidential decrees.
What Paz chases instead: an energy pool with Milei and Pena
While others draft charters, Paz is chasing power lines and pipelines. On August 12, 2026, at a road handover in Tarija, he pitched deals with Argentina and Paraguay to redistribute Bolivian energy.
He said he had already sat down with Argentina’s Javier Milei and Paraguay’s Santiago Pena to design an energy ‘pool’ anchored in Bolivia’s Chaco. Weeks earlier, on July 29, he had cast Bolivia as a potential ‘center of South American energy distribution.
Why the constitution is so hard to change
Rewriting the charter is deliberately hard. A partial reform needs a supermajority in the assembly and then a national referendum, while a total rewrite requires a Constituent Assembly.
That is why, for all the noise, no Bolivia constitutional reform has cleared the first real hurdle. Most of what you hear is still debate, not a bill moving through committee.
What to watch next in the Bolivia reform debate
The near-term test is whether any single Bolivia constitutional reform plan gains cross-party backing in the assembly. Without that, the reform talk stays a talking point.
For now, watch two tracks at once. One is the slow constitutional argument; the other is Paz’s faster, more concrete push to sell Bolivian energy to his neighbors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bolivia’s government proposing a new constitution in 2026?
No. As of mid-August 2026, President Rodrigo Paz has not tabled a formal bill to rewrite the constitution. The most detailed reform plans come from opposition figures, not his administration.
Who is Carlos Alarcon?
He is a Bolivian national deputy. In 2026 he proposed an extraordinary recall referendum to remove the president.
What does Samuel Doria Medina’s reform plan include?
His 11-point plan would end presidential re-election, scrap the popular election of judges. Abolish the Plurinational Constitutional Court and set a 2% of GDP floor for justice, all without a Constituent Assembly.
What did Paz say about energy deals with Argentina and Paraguay?
On August 12, 2026 he said he had already met Javier Milei and Santiago Pena to design a regional energy ‘pool’ from Bolivia’s Chaco. Redistributing power to northern Argentina and Paraguay.
Connected Coverage
Sources: EFE; La Razon; Erbol; Infobae; Bolivia.com.
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