Pedro Callisaya

Pedro Francisco Callisaya Aro (born 10 October 1966) is a Bolivian academic, constitutional lawyer, and jurist serving as the sixth ombudsman of Bolivia since 2022. Callisaya developed his career in academic circles, completing multiple graduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of constitutional law and human rights. After exercising a couple of minor public posts in the late 1990s, Callisaya entered the Ombudsman's Office, where he worked for over a decade. He served for two terms on the Departmental Court of Justice of La Paz from 2012 to 2016 and 2017 to 2021.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Callisaya and the second or maternal family name is Aro.

Pedro Callisaya
Portrait of Pedro Callisaya
6th Ombudsman of Bolivia
Assumed office
27 September 2022
Preceded byNadia Cruz (acting)
Personal details
Born
Pedro Francisco Callisaya Aro

(1966-10-10) 10 October 1966
La Paz, Bolivia
Political partyIndependent
Alma materHigher University of San Andrés
Simón Bolívar Andean University
Occupation
  • Educator
  • jurist
  • lawyer
Signature

In 2022, Callisaya registered his candidacy for the position of ombudsman and was among the group of seven finalists to hold the post. Over the course of four failed votes, Callisaya consolidated his position as the preferred candidate of the ruling Movement for Socialism. However, he remained unable to attain the necessary two-thirds to be elected to the position of ombudsman, with the parliamentary opposition viewing him as too closely aligned with the government. He was finally elected during the fifth round of voting, receiving the support of ninety-five ruling party legislators in a session marked by the absence of opposition parliamentarians. Given the fraught manner in which he was elected, Callisaya's tenure as ombudsman faced the task of recovering the office's credibility as an impartial institution after years of increased politicization.

Early life and career

An ethnic Aymara, Pedro Callisaya was born on 10 October 1966 in La Paz. He graduated as a lawyer from the Higher University of San Andrés before attending the Simón Bolívar Andean University, where he completed a master's in constitutional law specializing in human rights and criminal and civil procedure.[1][2] After that, he undertook postgraduate studies abroad, attending the University of Alcalá in Madrid, Spain, where he completed courses in democracy, rule of law, and human rights.[3] Additionally, he holds various diplomas in the fields of administrative law, interculturality and decolonization, and legal defense of the State, among others.[2] Callisaya studied pedagogy at the Simón Bolívar Superior Normal School, serving intermittently as a law professor at a variety of public and private institutions, including the Bolivian Catholic University, the Franz Tamayo Private University, and the Public University of El Alto.[4]

Callisaya spent much of his professional career as a minor public official in La Paz. He got his start as a legal secretary for the Fourth Labor and Social Security District Court, a position he held for two years. From 1999 to 2001, he served as a public defender for the Ministry of Justice before finally settling in the Ombudsman's Office during the administration of Ana María Romero. Callisaya exercised various roles and positions at the institution for over a decade, serving as head of direct management from 2002 to 2005 and director of the organization's La Paz office from 2006 to 2007. In 2010, he was appointed to head the body's Citizen Services Unit, a position he held until 2012, when he was replaced by Nadia Cruz.[1][3] Shortly thereafter, Callisaya was sworn in as a magistrate on the Departmental Court of Justice of La Paz. He served for two terms between 2012 and 2016 and 2017 and 2021, taking a brief sabbatical to work as a human rights specialist for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2016 to 2017. Upon the conclusion of his second term, Callisaya continued to operate within the judiciary, presiding over the National Directorate of Real Rights from 2021 to 2022.[5]

Ombudsman of Bolivia

Election
Main article: 2022 Bolivian ombudsman election

With the process underway for the designation of a new ombudsman, Callisaya submitted his application for the position.[6] In an election dominated by prominent public figures and notable names,[7] Callisaya passed through the candidate evaluation phase with a relative low profile. By late April, he was among the group of seven finalists approved to be voted on by the Legislative Assembly.[8] He received the support of sixty-five legislators in the first round of voting, establishing him as the frontrunner to win the election. Nonetheless, he remained far short of the necessary two-thirds to attain the position,[9] with even the majority Movement for Socialism (MAS) initially divided between support for him and rival Porfirio Machado.[10] Though the MAS eventually coalesced around Callisaya by the third round,[11] the parliamentary opposition remained steadfast in its refusal to support his candidacy, considering him too closely aligned with the government.[12] A total of five failed votes passed before the MAS finally resorted to political maneuvering to push Callisaya through, electing him by a vote of ninety-five to none in a last-minute session in which most opposition legislators were unable to attend.[13]

Tenure

Callisaya's election was wracked with controversy, with observers of the process expressing unease regarding the increased co-option and politicization of the Ombudsman's Office as an institution.[14] Upon being sworn in on 27 September, Callisaya echoed such concerns, accepting that his administration faced the challenge of recovering the organization's credibility as a non-partisan institution.[15] This self-critical approach was met with hopeful optimism from some analysts, with activist Franco Albarracín commenting that Callisaya's statements were a "positive sign" that the new ombudsman would seek to be an impartial defender of human rights. Political analyst Gregorio Lanza remained more skeptical, stating that while "[Callisaya] differs in words from [those of his predecessor]", his response to ongoing crises would be the true test of his political independence.[16]

Electoral history
Electoral history of
Year Office Party Votes Result Ref.
Total  % P.
2022 Ombudsman Nonpartisan 95 97.94% 1st Won [13]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

Publications
  • Callisaya Aro, Pedro (2013). Las Acciones de Defensa en el Código Procesal Constitucional: Una Perspectiva desde la Acción Amparo Constitucional (in Spanish). La Paz: Producciones CIMA.
  • ————————— (2015). Protocolo de Actuación en Audiencias Preliminares y Complementaria del Proceso Civil (in Spanish). Tribunal Departamental de Justicia de La Paz.
  • ————————— (2018). Gatopardo: Jurisprudencia sobre el Principio de la Verdad Material (in Spanish). La Paz: Revista Unidad de Postgrado y Relaciones Internacionales.
  • ————————— (2019). La Prueba: Caracterización de la Prueba y los Medios de Prueba en el Código Procesal Civil Boliviano (in Spanish). La Paz: Editorial Ideas. ISBN 978-99974-0-602-6. OCLC 1105738549.
  • ————————— (2022). ¿Por Quién Doblan las Campanas?: El Problema del Registro de Derechos Reales en Bolivia (in Spanish). La Paz.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References
  1. Lizárraga, Paulo (23 September 2022). "Pedro Callisaya: el jurista aymara que tras seis elecciones se hizo de la Defensoría". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  2. "¿Quién es Pedro Callisaya, el candidato del MAS, designado Defensor del Pueblo?". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  3. "¿Quién es Pedro Callisaya, el nuevo defensor del pueblo?". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  4. "Perfil profesional y trayectoria del nuevo Defensor del Pueblo, Pedro Francisco Callisaya Aro". Agencia Boliviana de Información (in Spanish). La Paz. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  5. "¿Quién es el nuevo defensor del pueblo, Pedro Callisaya?". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 24 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  6. Chamber of Senators [@SenadoBolivia] (1 April 2022). "Nonagésimo séptimo postulación al cargo de Defensor del Pueblo" (Tweet) (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. Chuquimia, Marco Antonio (2 April 2022). "19 repitentes y figuras conocidas llenan las listas para Defensor del Pueblo". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  8. "¿Quiénes son los siete aspirantes finalistas a la Defensoría y cómo fue su entrevista?". Página Siete (in Spanish). 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  9. "¿Quiénes son los siete aspirantes finalistas a la Defensoría y cómo fue su entrevista?". Página Siete (in Spanish). 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  10. "Votación para Defensor muestra división del MAS y peso de Arce". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  11. Alanoca, Jesús (12 May 2022). "Defensor del Pueblo: MAS mantiene apoyo a Callisaya y prevé reinstalar sesión en las próximas horas". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  12. Staff writer (6 May 2022). "Cossío es elegida como candidata a Defensoría del Pueblo por CC". La Patria (in Spanish). Oruro. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  13. "Eligen a Pedro Callisaya como Defensor del Pueblo, en medio de escándalo por cambio de orden del día y ausencias". ERBOL (in Spanish). La Paz. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  14. Chuquimia, Marco Antonio (23 September 2022). "Veedores de selección del Defensor del Pueblo alertan sobre pérdida de legitimidad y credibilidad". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  15. Atahuichi, Rubén (27 September 2022). "Designado en la Asamblea, Pedro Callisaya Aro jura como nuevo Defensor del Pueblo". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  16. Pérez Munguía, Juan (30 September 2022). "En sus primeros días, Callisaya da tres señales para marcar diferencia con Cruz". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
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