November 4, 2022, 4:00 AM
November 4, 2022, 4:00 AM
The management of La Paz Freddy Mamani (MAS) in the Presidency of Deputies lasted two years. Jerges Mercado, also from the ruling party, was chosen yesterday to lead the Lower House in the next legislative period. The Santa Cruz assemblyman is remembered because he declared that the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University is “one of the worst in the world.”
In the Senate there were no surprises, Andrónico Rodríguez, senator for the Cochabamba tropics, was sworn in yesterday morning for the third time as President of the Upper House. The directive that will accompany him is made up of Gladys Alarcón (MAS), first vice president; Vania Rocha (CC), second vice president. Roberto Padilla (MAS) in the first secretariat; Claudia Égüez (We believe), second secretary, and Isidoro Quispe (MAS) third secretary.
This directive received the support of 21 senators. Another 13 voted against and one blank. Within the MAS, legislator Virginia Velasco tried to present another plan, which is why Rodríguez, on this occasion, did not have it easy. Inside the bench it caused a lot of discomfort that in an expanded MAS three weeks ago, he would have ratified Rodríguez. Several of his colleagues claimed independence.
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The decision to elect Mercado was made at a meeting of the ruling party’s caucus and will be confirmed in the preparatory session for the start of the new legislature. Mercado said, on October 25, that the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University (Uagrm) is “one of the worst in the world,” unleashing a barrage of criticism against him.
The deputy launched that comment based on the fact that the Uagrm appears at the bottom of the ranking among 1,500 universities in the world.
In an official statement, heUagrm presented a count of the number of students who enter annually: 13,000 and those who graduated in 2021: 7,340, in addition to its student population: 115,000. However, he points out: “We do not receive adequate financial resources to better meet the demands of the university community.”
“We reject the offensive statement made, defenestrating our institution and professionals trained in our house of higher studiesbeing one of the best at the national level, which seeks to continuously improve academic quality and bring out professionals of excellence”, expresses one of the paragraphs of the document.
Mercado celebrated his choice. “(We) have come together. It was a democratic party, all masistas have been and for the good of the country. We have come out united, we are all here, the nine departments, ”said the legislator.
In the middle of the debate there was some tension, because Cochabamba was also fighting for the presidency of Deputies, maintaining his claim for the leadership of the bench. Andrés Flores was ratified in that role, relegating Gualberto Arispe.
“Cochabamba is a brother department that has contributed to the process and continues to contribute, it has also been present in this definition. The leadership of the bench has already been defined, and comrade Andrés Flores has been ratified”, he added.
The entire MAS bench met this Thursday at the Casa Grande del Pueblo to achieve consensus and avoid further disputes. “We have proceeded to the vote and Jerges Mercado has been the winner and will be our president for this 2022-2023 administration,” said deputy Héctor Arce. It is not yet fully defined who will be the head of the caucus in the Chamber of Deputies.
