Electoral Court of Bolivia: Fiesta de la Virgen de Urkupiña will not be affected by elections

The Supreme Electoral Court of Bolivia did not access the request to modify the date of the general elections, for coinciding with the feast of the Virgin of Urkupiña, patron saint of the Bolivian community, but assured that the development of the elections will not interfere with religious activities .

After a meeting with the authorities of the Organizing Committee of the Fiesta de la Virgen de Urkupiña, who requested that the date of the general elections be postponed – prevented for August 17 – for coinciding with the religious festival, the Supreme Electoral Court said that The development of the elections will not affect religious activities, scheduled from 14 to 16 of that month.

The order of the committee was based on the electoral closure that could affect the normal development of the celebrations of the Virgin of Urkupiña, since government provisions prohibit massive celebrations and transfers between 24 and 48 hours before the elections.

The priest Juan Carlos Molina, representative of the International Committee for the Fiesta de la Virgen de Urkupiña, had expressed concern: “We hope that the Plenary Chamber will take a resolution in this regard. As long as we do not have an answer, we cannot advance any definitive programming for the holiday, ”he told FM Bolivia.

For his part, Héctor Cartagena, mayor of Quillacollo, recalled that “Urkupiña is not just a local party; It is a national and international event that mobilizes thousands of people. Ignoring its impact on citizen logistics and participation is a mistake that must be corrected. ”

To resolve his concerns, an inter -institutional commission of the municipality of Quillacollo arrived in the city of La Paz, where he met with the Supreme Electoral Court.

After the meeting, the body of the agency, Francisco Vargas, said in his X account: “Respectful of the religious holiday we stated that the activities that will be carried out from August 14 to 16 will not be affected by the electoral process, we also manifest our will for coordination and cooperation with local authorities.”

He also explained that the Electoral Court “has the constitutional mandate to prioritize the realization of the general elections in the appropriate times to guarantee the possession of the new elected authorities in a timely manner.”

This response allows the committee organized by the Virgin party to be able to advance with the preparations, which were suspended waiting for a definition.

In the next elections, scheduled for August 17, 2025, Bolivia will choose the president and vice president of the country, as well as the new senators and deputies, some of them by special vote by constituencies.