Eva Copa
Eva Copa | |
|---|---|
 Eva Copa, November 2019 | |
| Mayor of El Alto | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Soledad Chapetón |
| President of the Senate | |
| In office 14 November 2019 – 3 November 2020 | |
| President | Jeanine Áñez |
| Preceded by | Adriana Salvatierra |
| Succeeded by | Andrónico Rodríguez |
| Senator for La Paz | |
| In office 19 January 2015 – 3 November 2020 | |
| Alternate | Miguel Manuel Coñaja |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mónica Eva Copa Murga 3 January 1987 El Alto, Bolivia |
| Political party | Jallalla La Paz (2021–present) Movement for Socialism (2015–2021) |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Ignacio Copa Clementina Murga |
| Education | Public University of El Alto |
| Website | www.evacopa.bo |
Mónica Eva Copa Murga (born 3 January 1987) is a Bolivian social worker and politician currently serving as the Mayor of El Alto. She previously served as a Bolivian senator for La Paz between 2015 and 2020, as well as the President of the Senate from 2019 to 2020. She is a former member of the political party Movement for Socialism.[1]
She became President of the Senate following the resignation of Adriana Salvatierra and other high-ranking Movement for Socialism officeholders, and the ascension of Jeanine Áñez as President of Bolivia amidst the 2019 Bolivian political crisis.[2][3][4]
Biography
Eva Copa was born on 3 January 1987 in the city of El Alto. Born to artisans, she is the penultimate daughter of 7 children. She graduated from the Public University of El Alto in 2011 with a degree in social work.[5] During her time there, Copa would stand out as a university leader. She started as a delegate for her course, then as a student center leader, and finally as general secretary of the Local University Federation of the city of El Alto.
She was also a "political activist for the defense of the rights of youth and women from El Alto" and an activist of platforms for socialization and awareness of the rights and guarantees of women.[6]
Political career
Senator for La Paz (2015–2020)
In 2014, at age 27, Copa stood as a candidate for the position of senator for the La Paz Department as a member of the Movement for Socialism party. She won the seat in the October general elections, and took office on 18 January 2015 at age 28.
President of the Senate (2019–2020)
The events of the 2019 political crisis resulted in the resignation of President of the Senate Adriana Salvatierra. This resignation was accepted by the Senate on 14 November at which point Eva Copa was elected to be the new President of the Senate.[7]
On 11 July 2020, it was announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19.[8]
Video controversy
On 29 July 2020, a video alleging to show Eva Copa having intimate relations with her partner began to spread across social networks.[9] Copa denied that she was the women in the video stating, "with a false video they tried to stain my honor and personal dignity." In a message posted on Twitter, Copa demanded that Government Minister Arturo Murillo find those responsible for the montage of said video. Days later, a young woman appeared in the media, who declared herself the true author.
On 3 November 2020, following the 2020 general election, Copa closed the 2015-2020 assembly and presented the new assembly with their credentials.[10] She was replaced as President of the Senate by Cochabamba Senator Andrónico Rodríguez.
Mayoral election and expulsion from MAS
Following her tenure in the Senate, Copa was expected to be the MAS candidate for Mayor of El Alto in the 2021 Bolivian regional elections.[11] Despite community support, MAS leadership in El Alto nominated former mayor Zacarías Maquera as their candidate.[12] Nevertheless, Copa opted to present herself as a candidate anyway, registering as a member of the Jallalla La Paz group. As a result on 30 December 2020, MAS leadership voted to expel Copa from the party. Referring to her candidacy, Copa clarified that though she is "entering the game with another color," she "will always continue to be on the left" and that "MAS will always be in my heart." Following this, a group of youth members of MAS in El Alto announced their break with the party to support Copa.[12]
As of 26 January 2021, Copa led in electoral preference by 66.4%.[13] Copa responded to this with "great optimism" but denounced the existence of a "select group" in MAS, which did not allow new leaders to emerge. Two days later, officials who worked for the office of the Vice Presidency claimed that "an interrogation is being carried out" in order to remove people who supported Eva Copa from their positions.[14] These charges were denied by the Vice Presidency office which claimed that "everything is normal" and that "there are no layoffs."
Upon the closing of polls on 7 March 2021, Copa won the race by a landslide, winning 68.7% of the vote, far higher than the 19.14% of her MAS opponent as well as the twelve other candidates on the ballot.[15] It was the highest margin of victory in any of the major cities of Bolivia. The defeat of MAS in its historic base of support, dubbed in the media as "Eva vs Evo" and the "Copazo", was noted by political analysts as a sign that many within the blue party wished for renewal and younger leadership.[16] Many blamed former president and MAS leader Evo Morales' frequent intervention in the choosing candidates as the reason for Copa's victory, with one Alteño stating that Morales was "directly responsible because he did not listen to his grassroots when choosing a representative for the mayor’s office."[17]
At age 34, Copa is the youngest mayor of El Alto which itself only turned 36-years-old on 6 March 2021.[16] She was one of just two women to be elected mayor of one of the ten largest cities in the country and is the second female mayor of El Alto.[18]
References
- ^ "Mónica Eva Copa Murga" (in Spanish). Senate of Bolivia. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Bolivia's warring parties strike deal for new elections to end deadly unrest". France24. 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Bolivia's Senate votes to appoint new chamber head, deputies". Reuters. 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Mónica Eva Copa Murga asume la presidencia de la Cámara de Senadores" (in Spanish). 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Eva Copa Murga, la aymara que no le tiene miedo a nada". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Mónica Eva Copa Murga | Cámara de Senadores". 2020-11-04. Archived from the original on 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ Mendoza, Luz. "Eva Copa Murga: la millenial alteña que apostó por pacificar el país". eju.tv (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Eva Copa, presidente del Senado de Bolivia, también tiene coronavirus". infobae (in Spanish). 11 July 2020.
- ^ "Aparece mujer que dice ser quien se ve en el video íntimo, ruega que no se difunda más". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Copa clausurará el 3 de noviembre el periodo legislativo que se inició en 2015". La Razón | Noticias de Bolivia y el Mundo. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ Press, Europa (2021-01-01). "El MAS expulsa a la expresidenta del Senado boliviano Eva Copa". www.europapress.es. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ a b Press, Europa (2021-01-01). "El MAS expulsa a la expresidenta del Senado boliviano Eva Copa". www.europapress.es. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ "Eva Copa: "No creo que me dejen volver al MAS, yo he sido muy crítica" | EL DEBER". eldeber.com.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ "Denuncian que personal que trabajó con Eva Copa es retirado de Vicepresidencia". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ "ELECCIÓN DE AUTORIDADES POLÍTICAS".
- ^ a b "Eva Copa, la joven aymara que desafió a Evo Morales y arrasó en las elecciones de El Alto". France 24. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ^ "Evo vs. Eva? In Bolivia, young candidates take the spotlight". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ^ "Solo 2 lograron ser electas, la OEA pide más condiciones para la participación femenina". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-03-20.