Shirley Franco

Shirley Franco Rodríguez (Spanish: [ʃiɾˈlej]; born 4 June 1987) is a Bolivian political scientist and politician who served as a party-list member of the Chamber of Deputies from Cochabamba from 2015 to 2020. She previously served on the Cochabamba Municipal Council from 2010 to 2014.

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

Shirley Franco
Headshot of Shirley Franco
Official portrait, 2018
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
from Cochabamba
In office
18 January 2015 – 3 November 2020
SubstituteEnrique Siles
Preceded byMauricio Muñoz
Succeeded bySaúl Lara
ConstituencyParty list
Personal details
Born
Shirley Franco Rodríguez

(1987-06-04) 4 June 1987
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Political partySocial Democratic Movement (2019–present)
Other political
affiliations		National Unity Front (2009–2019)
Alma materHigher University of San Simón
Occupation
  • Political scientist
  • politician
SignatureCursive signature in ink

Raised in the social conflicts of the early to mid-2000s, Franco entered politics within a year of graduating from university. She joined the National Unity Front in 2009, with which she unsuccessfully contested a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. Undeterred, Franco saw better results in the following year's local elections, winning a seat on the Cochabamba Municipal Council.

In 2014, Franco returned to national politics and was elected to represent the Democratic Unity coalition in the Chamber of Deputies, becoming one of the youngest parliamentarians in the legislature. Amid the fragmentation of the opposition caucus in the Legislative Assembly, Franco defected from National Unity and joined the Social Democratic Movement, which in 2019 nominated her to accompany Oscar Ortiz as his running mate. Having failed in her bid for the vice presidency, Franco sought reelection in the snap 2020 general election, but her candidacy was annulled in conjunction with her party's withdrawal from the race. Though considered a possible contender for the Cochabamba mayoralty, Franco declined to run.

Early life and political career

Shirley Franco was born on 4 June 1987, the third of four children born to Raúl Franco and Libertad Rodríguez, a middle-class family from Cochabamba. She completed her primary and secondary schooling at the city's American Institute before going on the attend the Higher University of San Simón, where she graduated with a bachelor's in political science in 2008.[1][2] In the ensuing years, Franco completed postgraduate studies at the University of Valle and the University of Salamanca, receiving two postgraduate degrees in the fields of governance and political management and municipal public policy and social cohesion.[3] Additionally, she completed courses in political transformation at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.[4][5]

Franco belongs to a generation of urban activists who entered politics in opposition to the ruling Movement for Socialism. In the polarized climate of the late 2000s—a period characterized by political restructuring following the collapse of the establishment political parties—figures like Franco became protagonists of popular anti-government mobilizations, especially in deeply divided Cochabamba, where social unrest reached its peak in 2007. As new opposition parties developed, many incorporated these urban youth and women's movements into their ranks.[6]

For her part, Franco's liberal and social democratic inclinations led her to join the National Unity Front (UN), which in 2009 nominated her to represent Cochabamba's circumscription 23 as a substitute member of the Chamber of Deputies. Though unsuccessful in that bid,[5][7] she remained involved with the party and was elected to represent it in the Cochabamba Municipal Council the following year. Aged 22 at the time of her inauguration, Franco went on to serve as a municipal councillor for a further four years before resigning in 2014 to make a second attempt at national politics.[4][8]

Chamber of Deputies

Election
Further information: 2014 Bolivian general election

With the campaign underway for the 2014 general election, Franco was nominated to contest a seat in the Chamber of Deputies on behalf of the Democratic Unity (UD) coalition, an alliance between UN and the Social Democratic Movement (MDS). She topped UD's electoral list in the Cochabamba Department and was elected to hold the position, becoming one of the youngest members of an opposition caucus characterized by its high number of young female legislators.[4][9]

Tenure

Franco presented three major bills throughout her parliamentary tenure, including two health-related ones, one directed at increasing government attention on persons with diabetes and one focused on procuring new treatments for cervical cancer.[10] However, her most notable proposal came in 2016, when she presented a bill that would penalize street harassment with up to eight hours in police custody and a fine of Bs 500.[11] Franco had been a vocal critic of Bolivia's Law N° 348, which ostensibly guarantees women's civil and political rights, arguing that beyond a lack of public resources for enforcement, the legislation also failed to address major women's issues. In particular, she stated that cultural change needed to be legislated so as to prevent verbal harassment and cat-calling, close the gender wage gap, increase female access and permanence in education, and ensure that both boys and girls are taught the same skills.[12] Franco's bill regulating street harassment went on to be included as part of the government's 2017 reforms to the Penal Code, but the entire legislation was ultimately abrogated due to protests over unrelated sections. Nonetheless, Franco later expressed satisfaction for having, at the very least, opened a national debate on the subject.[5][13]

Despite entering parliament as a partisan of UN, Franco also fostered relationships with UD's other primary component, the MDS, and, according to Deputy Jimena Costa, she was observed to have participated in the party's internal meetings from her first day in office. The relationship between UN and the MDS "ended the first day they (the legislators) took their seats in 2015,"[14] and much of Franco's work had to contend with the unruly and disorderly caucus these internal divisions created. Nearing the conclusion of her term, with the 2019 general election on the horizon, these issues became more pronounced as UN and the MDS split over who would head the alliance's presidential ticket. Ultimately, the MDS's Oscar Ortiz was presented as the newly-constituted Bolivia Says No (BDN) alliance's presidential candidate, while UN leader Samuel Doria Medina announced his party's withdrawal from the contest all together.[15][16] This decision, Franco contended, was not discussed in conjunction with UN's incumbent parliamentarians, a fact that led her to formally defect from the party.[5]

In early 2019, during UD's annual internal leadership election, Franco presented her candidacy to head the caucus, challenging UN's pre-selected candidate, María Eugenia Calcina. In a controversial session, Franco was elected with the supporting votes of the MDS, solidifying her break with UN.[17] Franco's rapprochement with the MDS proved self-beneficial when, in July, Ortiz's running mate, Edwin Rodríguez, abruptly dropped out of the race, citing a possible dispersion of the vote in favor of the ruling party.[18] As BDN scrambled to select a new vice-presidential candidate, Franco's name was profiled as among the top contenders. After narrowing the list of potential running mates down to three finalist candidates, Franco was selected to accompany Ortiz on BDN's ticket.[19] Ultimately, however, Franco's youthful appeal failed to significantly bolster BDN's electoral chances, and the alliance finished fourth on election day.[20]

Faced with a disastrous four percent finish at the polls, the MDS's prospects quickly rebounded as allegations of electoral fraud provoked the collapse of the Evo Morales administration and the accession of MDS Senator Jeanine Áñez to the presidency. With Áñez at the helm, the party re-launched its campaign for the 2020 general election.[21] In Cochabamba, the MDS nominated Franco to seek a second term in the Chamber of Deputies.[22] However, her candidacy was annulled along with those of the party's entire parliamentary ticket following Áñez's decision to withdraw from the race.[23] Shortly after the conclusion of her term, Franco was put forward as the MDS's Cochabamba mayoral candidate, but she declined to run, citing an "extreme dispersion" of the vote in favor of the ruling party.[24][25]

Commission assignments
  • Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance Commission
    • Science and Technology Committee (2015–2017)[26][27]
  • Territorial Organization of the State and Autonomies Commission
    • Departmental Autonomies Committee (2017–2018)[28]
  • Plural Economy, Production, and Industry Commission
    • Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Committee (2018–2019)[29]
  • Constitution, Legislation, and Electoral System Commission
    • Democracy and Electoral System Committee (2019–2020)[30]

Electoral history
Electoral history of Shirley Franco
Year Office Party Alliance Votes Result Ref.
Total  % P.
2009 Sub. Deputy National Unity Front Consensus and National Unity 7,472 8.69% 3rd Lost [31]
2010 Councillor National Unity Front All for Cochabamba 108,630 39.47% 1st Won [32][lower-greek 1]
2014 Deputy National Unity Front Democratic Unity 186,346 19.50% 2nd Won [33][lower-greek 1]
2019 Vice president Social Democratic Movement Bolivia Says No 260,316 4.24% 4th Annulled [34]
2020 Deputy Social Democratic Movement Juntos Withdrew Lost [23]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shirley Franco.

Notes
  1. Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.

Footnotes
  1. "El recorrido de Shirley Franco, la candidata a vicepresidencia por la alianza Bolivia Dice No" [The journey of Shirley Franco, vice-presidential candidate of the Bolivia Says No alliance]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  2. "Shirley Franco Rodríguez: Politóloga de la generación del 'No'" [Shirley Franco Rodríguez: Political scientist of the 'No' generation]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 2 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  3. "¿Quién es Shirley Franco, candidata a la vicepresidencia de Bolivia Dice No?" [Who is Shirley Franco, Bolivia Says No's vice-presidential candidate?]. Urgente.bo (in Spanish). La Paz. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  4. Fernández, Jorge (14 August 2019). "¿Quién es Shirley Franco, candidata a la Vicepresidencia de Bolivia Dice No?" [Who is Shirley Franco, Bolivia Says No's vice-presidential candidate?]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. Vaca, Mery (22 September 2019). "Shirley Franco: Irreverente y lista para 'El Arte de la Guerra'" [Shirley Franco: Irreverent and ready for 'The Art of War']. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. Romero Ballivián 2018, p. 237.
  7. "Elecciones: 135 jóvenes incursionan en política" [Elections: 135 youths venture into politics]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. "Cochabamba: Franco renuncia al Concejo para postular a diputación" [Cochabamba: Franco resigns from the council to run for deputy]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  9. Romero Ballivián 2018, pp. 59–60, 237.
  10. Corrales Arandia, Geraldine (15 October 2019). "Alianza BDN basa sus propuestas en el 21F y el federalismo" [BDN alliances bases its proposals on 21F and federalism]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  11. Staff writer (8 June 2016). Written at La Paz. "Proyecto de ley contra el acoso callejero propone sanción de Bs 500 y arresto de 8 horas" [Bill against street harassment proposes a Bs 500 fine and an 8-hour arrest]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Agencia de Noticias Fides. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  12. "Franco sobre violencia a la mujer: 'Quiero garantizar que haya persecución penal'" [Franco on violence against women: 'I want to guarantee that there is criminal prosecution'] (in Spanish). La Paz. Agencia de Noticias Fides. 6 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  13. "Altos niveles de acoso sexual callejero y pocas medidas legales" [High levels of street harassment and few legal measures]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. EFE. 27 November 2018. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  14. "Los 'huérfanos' de Samuel apuestan a seguir su vida política en las subnacionales" [Samuel's 'orphans' bet on continuing their political lives in the subnationals]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 7 July 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  15. "Doria Medina rompe con Demócratas y UN se retira de la carrera electoral" [Doria Medina breaks with Democrats and UN withdraws from the electoral race]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 28 November 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  16. Ortiz, Pablo (5 February 2019). "La bancada de Unidad Demócrata se desarma en el último año de mandato" [The Democratic Unity caucus falls apart in the last year of its term]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  17. "Franco y Calcina se disputan la jefatura de bancada de UD" [Franco and Calcina dispute leadership of the UD caucus]. Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 9 February 2019. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  18. "Edwin Rodríguez renuncia a su candidatura a la vicepresidencia" [Edwin Rodríguez withdraws his vice-presidential candidacy]. Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. El Día. 12 July 2019. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  19. "En BDN, Shirley Franco acompañará a Oscar Ortiz" [In BDN, Shirley Franco will accompany Oscar Ortiz]. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 15 August 2019. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  20. "Oscar Ortiz da su apoyo a Mesa 'sin ninguna condición'" [Oscar Ortiz gives his 'unconditional' support to Mesa] (in Spanish). La Paz. ERBOL. 20 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  21. Paredes, Iván Alejandro (2 February 2020). "Demócratas renace y gobierna en el país después un duro golpe electoral" [The Democrats are reborn and govern the country after a hard electoral blow]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  22. "Evo, gente de la RJC y de Manfred figuran en listas por Cochabamba" [Evo, people from the RJC, and Manfred appear on the lists in Cochabamba]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  23. "La alianza Juntos se disuelve y anula aspiraciones de más de 300 candidatos" [The Juntos alliance dissolves, annulling the aspirations of over 300 candidates]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 21 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  24. Ijurko, Juan Manuel (28 December 2020). "Shirley Franco declina postularse en Cochabamba para no dispersar el voto" [Shirley Franco declines to run in Cochabamba so as not to disperse the vote]. El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Archived from the original on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  25. Revollo, Melissa (30 December 2020). "Somos Renovación lanza a Pedro Luna en lugar de Shirley Franco" [Somos Renovación nominates Pedro Luna in place of Shirley Franco]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  26. "La Cámara de Diputados conformó sus 12 Comisiones y 37 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2015–2016". diputados.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Deputies. 29 January 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  27. Chamber of Deputies [@Diputados_Bol] (27 January 2016). "La Cámara de Diputados conformó sus 12 Comisiones y 37 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2016–2017" (Tweet) (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022 – via Twitter.
  28. Chamber of Deputies [@Diputados_Bol] (31 January 2017). "La Cámara de Diputados conformó sus 12 Comisiones y 37 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2017–2018" (Tweet) (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022 – via Twitter.
  29. "La Cámara de Diputados conformó sus 12 Comisiones y 37 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2018–2019". diputados.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Deputies. 1 February 2018. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  30. "La Cámara de Diputados conformó sus 12 Comisiones y 37 Comités: Gestión Legislativa 2019–2020". diptuados.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Chamber of Deputies. 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  31. "Elecciones Generales 2009 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  32. "Elecciones Municipales 2010 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  33. "Elecciones Generales 2014 | Atlas Electoral". atlaselectoral.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). La Paz: Plurinational Electoral Organ. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  34. "Publicación de Resultados Nacionales: Elecciones Generales 2019" (PDF). www.oep.org.bo (in Spanish). Plurinational Electoral Organ. 2019. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

Bibliography
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