Iris Flores

Iris Alexsandra Flores Quispe (born 29 August 2000) is a Bolivian politician and university student serving as president of the El Alto Municipal Council since 2021. A member of Jallalla La Paz, she gained notoriety for being among the youngest authorities in the country, assuming the presidency of Bolivia's second most populous municipality at just twenty years of age.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Flores and the second or maternal family name is Quispe.
Iris Flores
President of the El Alto Municipal Council
Assumed office
4 May 2021
MayorEva Copa
Vice PresidentDaniel Ramos
Preceded byAntioco Cala
El Alto Municipal Councillor
Assumed office
3 May 2021
AlternateVladimir David Condori[1]
Personal details
Born
Iris Alexsandra Flores Quispe

(2000-08-29) 29 August 2000
El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia
Political partyJallalla La Paz
Alma materPublic University of El Alto
Signature

Early life and education

Iris Flores was born on 29 August 2000 in El Alto, La Paz.[2][3] A lifelong resident of the city, in 2019, she entered the Public University of El Alto (UPEA) seeking a degree in education sciences.[4] While still a student, in 2021, she was nominated by the Jallalla La Paz civic group as a candidate for councillor for El Alto in order to serve as a representative for the UPEA on the city's Municipal Council.[5] Her candidacy was facilitated by Eva Copa, Jallalla's mayoral candidate, as part of her initiative of prioritizing the political empowerment of women and the inclusion of young professionals in politics.[6][7]

Flores at the civic parade for the 37th anniversary of El Alto, 4 Mach 2022.

El Alto Municipal councillor

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 the "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]

Electoral history
Year Office Party Votes Result Ref.
Total  % P.
2021 Councillor Jallalla La Paz 251,676 59.14% 1st[lower-alpha 1] Won [10]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References

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. "Conozca la lista de candidaturas habilitadas en La Paz, entre ellas Dockweiler y Alanoca | Lista de las candidaturas habilitadas en los municipios". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 24 January 2021. p. 24. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. "Iris Flores será la presidenta más joven del Concejo Municipal de El Alto". T informas Bolivia (in Spanish). 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022. Flores was born on 29 August 2000 […].
  3. "Iris Flores de 20 años de edad es la presidenta del Concejo Municipal de El Alto". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 4 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. "Iris Flores de 20 años de edad asume como Presidenta del Concejo Municipal de El Alto". El Potosí (in Spanish). Erbol. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. Mamani Cayo, Yolanda (2 March 2021). "Conozca a los candidatos a concejales que acompañan a Copa y Maquera en El Alto". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 17 January 2022. She is a university student. Study the career of educational sciences. Represents the Public University of El Alto.
  6. Sanabria, Ghilka (4 May 2021). "El Concejo de El Alto elige como presidenta a Iris Flores, universitaria de 20 años". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. Alejo, Guido (12 May 2021). "Sobre 'dedazos' y 'meritocracia', la construcción de un imaginario de cualificación de liderazgos alteños". El Alto Digital (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  8. "Copa niega parentesco con Iris Flores y ve discriminación al subalcalde 'Mister Yo'". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  9. "Articulan bancada de Renueva y Jallalla se debilita en el Concejo". El Alteño (in Spanish). 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  10. "Elección de Alcaldes 2021 | Atlas Electoral". Plurinational Electoral Organ (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 25 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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