Iris Flores

On 4 May 2021, by a vote of seven to three, Flores was elected president of the El Alto Municipal Council, assuming the second-highest position in Bolivia's second most populous city at just twenty years of age.^[3] In her first interview with the press, Flores thanked her fellow councillors for their "vote of confidence in me" and stated that she felt "lucky to represent the youth of my city". She went on to highlight improving education and tackling the health crisis as the council's immediate priorities.^[6]

Though her election was generally met with positive reception, Flores' lack of professional or even academic credentials was a topic of some controversy.^[7] In the first few days of her term, allegations that her election to the presidency of the council was only due to being Copa's niece circulated on social networks, though the mayor later denied any familial connection between the two. Copa went on articulate that Flores deserved to be "give[n] the benefit of the doubt" and condemned those trying to "defame" her.^[8] Despite the lack of a familial relationship, Flores nonetheless remained a staunch ally of Copa and, when the latter was expelled from Jallalla, she was among the six of eight Jallalla councillors who maintained their support for the mayor, forming the so-called "RenuEva" bloc in the Municipal Council.^[9]

Per Article 21 Section II of the municipal council's regulations, the council directive is renewed on a yearly basis, with the presidency and secretariat corresponding to the majority party while the vice presidency corresponds to the minority. Upon the completion of Flores' term, the Renueva caucus evaluated whether or not to ratify her in her position or elect a new authority.^[1] Ultimately, the majority bloc decided that Flores would not be maintained in office, with Councillor Rogelio Maldonado being designated to succeed her. On 4 May 2022, in her final act as president, Flores convened the session in which the new directive of the municipal council was to be elected. Per a report by El Alteño, Flores "showed some nervousness and did not command the session with skill [or] dexterity", lending a sense that "something was wrong" among the social leaders in attendance. Upon its installment, the opposition nominated Víctor Contreras—one of the two anti-Copa Jallalla councillors—to preside over the council, while the Renueva bloc presented Maldonado. In an unexpected turn of events, Contreras was elected by a six vote majority—including his own—having attained the support of the minority Movement for Socialism, the other anti-Copa Jallalla councillor, as well as Cristian Estévez, until then aligned with the Renueva caucus.^[10]

The coup de grâce drew the ire of the social leaders attending the event. Amid protests and accusations of "fraud", Flores was forced to suspend the session, thus preventing Contreras from being sworn in. The unrest quickly erupted into violence, with opposing sides coming to blows. The chaos forced a police contingent to restrict access to the theater in which the election was being held; even Contreras and Estévez were not allowed back in because they did not have their credentials on hand. Within the theater, Flores reconvened the session despite the presence of just six of the eleven councillors. This time, Maldonado was elected, with Flores swearing in the new directive on the spot, thus bringing her term to a definitive end.^[11]