Bolivia held a general election on 1 July 1979, electing both a new President of the Republic and a new National Congress, 1979–1980.
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| Presidential candidates | Candidates for Vice President | Party/Alliance | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hernán Siles Zuazo (MNRI) | Jaime Paz Zamora (MIR) | UDP | 528,696 | 35.97 |
| Víctor Paz Estenssoro (MNR) | Luís Ossio Sanjines (PDC) | MNR-A | 527,184 | 35.87 |
| Hugo Banzer Suárez (ADN) | Mario Rolón Anaya (ADN) | ADN, FSB-M, PRA-R, MNR-C | 218,857 | 14.89 |
| Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz (PS-1) | Jaime Taborga Torrico (PS-1) | PS-1, OST, VCPOR | 70,765 | 04.82 |
| René Bernal Escalante (MARC) | Mario Gutiérrez Gutiérrez (FSB) | APIN | 60,262 | 04.10 |
| Luciano Tapia Quisbert (MITKA) | Eufronio Vélez Magne (MIRKA) | MITKA | 28,344 | 01.93 |
| Walter Gonzalez Valda (PUB) | Benjamín Saravia Ruelas (PUB) | PUB, UDB, PBR | 18,976 | 01.29 |
| Ricardo Catoira Marín (VO) | Filemón Escobar Escobar (VO) | VO | 16,560 | 01.13 |
| Valid votes | 1,469,644 | 100 | ||
| Invalid votes | 223,856 | |||
| Votes cast | 1,693,233 | |||
| Registered voters | 1,871,070 | |||
| Population | 5,433,412 | |||
The Constitution of Bolivia states that a candidate needs to obtain 51% of the votes in order to be elected President or Vice President. In the elections held on July 1, none of the candidates obtained this absolute majority; the National Congress therefore had to choose the new President of the Republic from among the three candidates who had obtained the largest number of votes. These candidates were: Hernán Siles Zuazo, Víctor Paz Estenssoro and Hugo Banzer Suárez. After three ballots in the Congress, none of the candidates achieved the required majority. [2]
| Presidential candidates | Parties | Senate | Deputies | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hernán Siles Zuazo (MNRI) | UDP | 8 | 38 | 46 |
| Víctor Paz Estenssoro (MNR) | MNR-A | 16 | 48 | 64 |
| Hugo Banzer Suárez (independent) | ADN | 3 | 19 | 22 |
| Not voting | PS-1, APIN, MITK, PUB | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Total | 27 | 117 | 144 | |
After three ballots in the Congress, none of the candidates achieved the required majority. With this in mind, the political grouping alliance of the MNR nominated the President of the Senate, Walter Guevara Arze. He was elected interim constitutional president for a term of one year. [4]
UDP – Democratic and Popular Union (Unidad Democratica y Popular). Electoral alliance formed by
Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of the Left, MNRI;
Communist Party of Bolivia, PCB;
Revolutionary Left Movement, MIR;
Tupaj Katari Revolutionary Movement, MRTK;
Movement of the National Left, MIN;
Popular Movement for National Liberation, MPLN;
Alliance of the National Left, ALIN;
Revolutionary Party of the Nationalist Left, PRIN;
Revolutionary Workers Party Trotskyist-Posadist, POR-TP;
Socialist Party-Sabino Tito Atahuichi, PS-Atahuichi;
Organization of Revolutionary Unity, OUR;
Center for the Study of Natural Resources, CERNA;
Revolutionary Party of the Workers of Bolivia, PRTB. [5]
MNR-A – Revolutionary Nationalist Movement-Alliance (Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario-Alianza). Electoral alliance formed by
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, MNR;
Tupaj Katari Revolutionary Movement-Chila, MRTK-Chila (faction led by Macabeo Chila);
Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist–Leninist), PCML;
Christian Democratic Party, PDC;
Revolutionary Party of the National Left – Gueiler, PRIN-G;
Authentic Revolutionary Party, PRA (historical faction led by Walter Guevara Arce). [6]
ADN – Nationalist Democratic Action.
FSB-M – Bolivian Socialist Falange-Moreira (faction led by Gaston Moreira Ostria).
PRA-R – Authentic Revolutionary Party- Ríos (faction led by Jorge Ríos Gamarra).
MNR-J – Revolutionary Nationalist Movement-Julio, (faction led by Rubén Julio Castro).
PS-1 – Socialist Party-One.
OST – Workers' Socialist Organization.
VCPOR – Communist Vanguard of the Revolutionary Workers' Party.
APIN – Popular Alliance for National Integration (Alianza Popular de Integración Nacional). Electoral alliance formed by
Revolutionary Agrarian Movement of the Bolivian Peasantry, MARC;
Bolivian Socialist Falange, FSB (faction led by Mario Gutiérrez Gutiérrez);
Christian Democratic Union, UDC. [7]
MITKA – Indian Movement Tupaj Katari.
PUB – Bolivian Union Party.
UDB – Bolivian Democratic Union.
PBR – Barrientista Revolutionary Party.
VO – Workers' Vanguard Party.
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