Fernando Campero

Fernando Campero Paz
Born	(1953-03-20) March 20, 1953 Tarija, Bolivia
Occupation(s)	Economist, politician
Years active	1980s–2020
Known for	Substitute senator representing Tarija (2015–2020); general manager of Central Bank of Bolivia and Bolivian Stock Exchange

Fernando Campero Paz (born 20 March 1953) is a Bolivian economist and political figure who held the position of substitute senator representing Tarija from 2015 until 2020. Earlier in his career, he occupied significant financial leadership roles as the general manager of both the Central Bank of Bolivia and the Bolivian Stock Exchange during the tenure of President Jaime Paz Zamora.

Originating from the prominent Paz family of Tarija, Campero grew up immersed in a politically engaged atmosphere connected to the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, the party led by his uncle, Víctor Paz Estenssoro. Embracing left-wing principles, he distanced himself from his family's political affiliation to join the Revolutionary Left Movement, where he undertook senior economic management responsibilities under Paz Zamora's administration.

Following an extended period away from active politics, Campero made a political comeback in 2009 by contesting a seat in the Chamber of Deputies with the National Unity Front, though without success. He maintained a prominent role within the party as its regional leader in Tarija and eventually secured a substitute senatorial seat in 2014.

Early life and education

Born on 20 March 1953 in Tarija, Fernando Campero was the youngest among four children of Raúl Campero Trigo, a veteran of the Chaco War, and Alina Paz Estenssoro, herself the daughter of Tarija Senator Domingo Paz Rojas. His upbringing took place within a politically influential family closely associated with the then-dominant Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR). His father headed the MNR's branch in Tarija Department, while his uncle, Víctor Paz Estenssoro, was the founder of the MNR and served multiple terms as President of Bolivia.

During their early years, Campero and his siblings lived in Barcelona, where their father held a consul position. He pursued studies in political economics in Chile during his family's exile period and later enrolled at the Bolivian Catholic University, where he actively engaged in the anti-authoritarian student movement amid Bolivia’s democratic transition.

Political shift and banking career

The retirement of Víctor Paz Estenssoro in 1989 after nearly fifty years marked a significant change for many senior members of the MNR—known as movimientistas. In the ensuing leadership contest, most of the Campero family backed Guillermo Bedregal, who was defeated by liberal mining tycoon Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. While some relatives, including Campero's brother Javier, accepted this new direction and continued flourishing within the MNR, Fernando opposed it: "...it seem[ed] outrageous to me that the richest man in Bolivia could be head of the party that carried out the National Revolution."

Breaking away from the MNR, Campero aligned himself with the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), led by Jaime Paz Zamora—a distant relative connected to the Campero family. After Paz Zamora assumed presidency, Campero was appointed general manager of the Bolivian Stock Exchange and subsequently took on roles as manager of economic studies and general manager at the Central Bank of Bolivia. Other family members also held influential positions within the MIR government, such as his brother Gonzalo—who served as president of Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano from 1989 to 1992 and ambassador to France between 1992 and 1993—and his cousin Fernando Campero Prudencio, who was minister of exports from 1992 to 1993.

Election

After serving in the Paz Zamora government, Campero re-entered the political arena in 2009 at the request of entrepreneur Samuel Doria Medina, joining the National Unity Front (UN), a party that emerged from a segment of the former MIR. He was selected to run for Tarija's circumscription 45 (Cercado), marking his first electoral bid since 1989 when the MIR presented him as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies.

Although he finished in a distant third place in 2009, Campero maintained an active role within UN and eventually assumed leadership of the party in Tarija. In 2014, UN demonstrated its commitment to key figures by positioning them prominently on its electoral lists. Campero was nominated alongside Mirtha Arce for the Senate, and both successfully secured seats.

Tenure

During his time in the Senate, Campero's responsibilities aligned with those typical of substitute legislators, concentrating on local matters while principal legislators primarily operated from the capital. As UN's leader in Tarija, he dedicated early 2015 to forging a cohesive opposition coalition ahead of the general elections. This initiative yielded partial success: UN formed an alliance with Adrián Oliva, who won the governorship, whereas Tarija Mayor Oscar Montes ran independently and retained control of the capital’s mayoralty. Nevertheless, Oliva soon distanced himself from UN, which reduced the party’s sway within his administration.

After UN chose not to participate in the 2019 and 2020 elections, Campero concluded his legislative term and retired to Tarija. There, he played a modest role in reshaping UN’s regional coalitions, this time backing Montes’s gubernatorial campaign instead of Oliva’s reelection effort. This partnership proved more stable and endured throughout Montes’s tenure.

Commission assignments

• Constitution, Human Rights, Legislation, and Electoral System Commission
  • Electoral System, Human Rights, and Social Equity Committee (28 January 2015–31 January 2017)
• Plural Justice, Prosecutor's Office, and Legal Defense of the State Commission
  • Prosecutor's Office and Legal Defense of the State Committee (19 January 2018–20 November 2019)
• Territorial Organization of the State and Autonomies Commission (31 January 2017–19 January 2018, 20 November 2019–3 November 2020)

Electoral history

Electoral history of Fernando Campero

Year	Office	Party		Alliance		Votes			Result	Ref.
						Total	%	P.
1989	Deputy		Revolutionary Left Movement	Does not appear		16,124	23.96%	3rd	Template:No2
2009			National Unity Front		Consensus and National Unity	4,586	9.21%	3rd	Template:No2
2014	Sub. Senator		National Unity Front		Democratic Unity	69,989	26.59%	2nd	Template:Yes2
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

Publications

• Campero Paz, Fernando; Baldivia Urdininea, José. Ciudades Intermedias. Instituto Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sociales, La Paz, 1987. (es)
• Campero Paz, Fernando; Quiroga, Jorge. Bolivia's Economic Transformation: A Review. Latin American Program, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D.C., 1992. (en)
• Campero Paz, Fernando. El Mercado de Capitales en Bolivia. Instituto Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sociales, La Paz, 1994. (es)
• Campero Paz, Fernando; Requena, Mario; Evia, José Luis. Prospectiva de la Economía Boliviana: Servicios, Industria e Hidrocarburos. Fundación Friedrich Ebert; Instituto Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sociales, La Paz, 1997. (es)

Bibliography

• Cámara de Senadores. La Cámara: Revista Informativa del Senado Plurinacional, La Paz, 2016, Issue 4, p. 27. Archive
• Campero Paz, Javier. Genealogía e Historia de la Familia Estenssoro en Bolivia. Academia de Ciencias Genealógicas y Heráldicas de Bolivia, 2015. (es)
• Romero Ballivián, Salvador. Diccionario Biográfico de Parlamentarios 1979–2019, Fundación de Apoyo al Parlamento y la Participación Ciudadana; Fundación Konrad Adenauer, La Paz, 2018. 2nd ed. (es)

External links

• Official parliamentary profile Office of the Vice President
• Archived parliamentary profile Chamber of Senators . Archived on 16 November 2019
• Interview with Jesús Cantín for El País