Bolivian National Convention of 1938

The Bolivian National Convention of 1938 was an elected constituent assembly held from May 23 to October 30,[1] and charged with rewriting the constitution of Bolivia. President David Toro called for the National Convention in 1937, but had been replaced by Germán Busch by the time it was held. Voter rolls for electing Convention members were opened in August 1937, and the vote was held in March 1938.[2]

The National Convention consisted of elected Senators and Deputies meeting in a unicameral legislature for the purposes of writing the constitution.[3] The dominant force in the National Convention was the Sole Socialist Front, an alliance of the Syndical Confederation of Workers of Bolivia (CSTB) and the Legion of Ex-Combatants (veterans of the Chaco War), backed by the Busch government.[4] The president of the gathering was Renato Riverín.[1]

The National Convention was the first national legislative body to meet in Bolivia in over three years.[4] The 1938 Convention was also the first time workers were included in a Bolivian constituent assembly.[5] In October 1938, the body successfully produced the Bolivian Constitution of 1938.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in Barragán R., Rossana; José Luis Roca (2005). Regiones y poder constituyente en Bolivia : una historia de pactos y disputas. Cuaderno de futuro, 21. La Paz, Bolivia: PNUD. p. 336. ISBN 978-99905-0-960-1.
  2. ↑ Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in Barragán R., Rossana; José Luis Roca (2005). Regiones y poder constituyente en Bolivia : una historia de pactos y disputas. Cuaderno de futuro, 21. La Paz, Bolivia: PNUD. p. 361. ISBN 978-99905-0-960-1.
  3. ↑ Klein, Herbert S. (1966-01-01). ""Social Constitutionalism" in Latin America: The Bolivian Experience of 1938". The Americas 22 (3): 258–276. doi:10.2307/979170. ISSN 0003-1615.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gotkowitz, Laura (2007). A revolution for our rights: Indigenous struggles for land and justice in Bolivia, 1880–1952. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 115.
  5. ↑ Rossana Barragán, "Ciudadanía y elecciones, convenciones y debates" in Barragán R., Rossana; José Luis Roca (2005). Regiones y poder constituyente en Bolivia : una historia de pactos y disputas. Cuaderno de futuro, 21. La Paz, Bolivia: PNUD. p. 279. ISBN 978-99905-0-960-1.