Government Junta of Bolivia (1861)

José María de Achá, a member of the junta, was elected president by the National Constituent Assembly

The Government Junta of Bolivia (Spanish: Junta de Gobierno), officially known as the Governmental Junta of the Republic (Spanish: Junta Gubernativa de la República),[1] or also as the Governmental Junta Charged with Supreme Command of the Nation (Spanish: Junta Gubernativa Encargada del Mando Supremo de la Nación),[2] was a civil-military junta which ruled Bolivia from 14 January to 4 May 1861. It was chaired by a triumvirate of three men; two Bolivians and one Argentine: José María de Achá, Manuel Antonio Sánchez, and Ruperto Fernández, all of whom came to power after a coup d'état which ousted the government of José María Linares, the very president they had previously served under. The junta was dissolved on 4 May 1861 when the National Constituent Assembly elected Achá as the provisional president.[3]

History

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1861 coup d'état

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Main article: 1861 Bolivian coup d'état

On 14 January 1861, Ruperto Fernández and José María de Achá, ministers of state in the government and war portfolios, joined by Prefect of La Paz Manuel Antonio Sánchez, rebelled against the president they had been serving under, launching a coup d'état which ousted José María Linares. In their manifesto to the nation, the newly formed junta justified its actions as a "regenerative revolution" against the dictatorship President Linares had imposed in 1858.[4]

National Constituent Assembly

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Immediately on 15 January 1861, the junta released the call for the convocation of a constituent assembly.[5] The legislature was tasked with drafting a new constitution, the seventh such charter in Bolivian history, and was to elect a provisional president from among the triumvirs.[4] Legislative elections were carried out in what was considered to be a generally democratic manner, resulting in the establishment of a multi-party assembly with members "from all walks of life". Upon its installation at the Loreto chapel on 1 May, the junta officially ceased its executive functions and transferred them to the assembly, chaired by Adolfo Ballivián. The same day, the assembly redelegated command to the junta until it could finish deliberating on who would lead the provisional government.[6][7]

Considering that Sánchez had died in April,[8] the assembly was given the choice between Achá and Fernández. The fact that Fernández was of Argentine origin was a factor taken into account and the assembly opted to declare him Bolivian by birth.[9] Nonetheless, on 4 May, the assembly elected Achá provisional president by a vote of 860–16.[6]

Composition

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Cabinet of the Governmental Junta
Junta-Achá Cabinet

25th Cabinet of the Bolivian Republic
1861
Date formed21 January 1861
Date dissolved4 May 1861
(3 months, 1 week and 6 days)
People and organisations
ChairmanJosé María de Achá
Ruperto Fernández
Manuel Antonio Sánchez[a]
No. of ministers5
History
Election1861 legislative
Legislature term1861–1862 Constituent National Assembly
PredecessorCabinet of José María Linares
SuccessorCabinet of José María de Achá
Portfolio Minister Party Prof. Took office Left office Term Ref.
Government Junta
of the Republic 		José María de Achá Mil. Mil. 14 January 1861 4 May 1861 110 [1]
Ruperto Fernández Ind. Law. 14 January 1861 4 May 1861 110 [1][b]
Manuel Antonio Sánchez Mil. Mil. 14 January 1861 9 April 1861 85 [1][a]
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ricardo José Bustamante Ind. Wri. 21 January 1861 4 May 1861 103 [2][10]
Minister of Government
and Justice 		Manuel Morris Ind. Law. 21 January 1861 4 May 1861 103 [2]
Minister of War Pedro Cueto Mil. Mil. 21 January 1861 4 May 1861 103 [2]
Minister of Finance Juan José Ibargüen Ind. – 21 January 1861 4 May 1861 103 [2]
Minister of Public Instruction
and Worship 		Jacinto Villamil Ind. Law. 21 January 1861 4 May 1861 103 [2]

Structural changes

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Portfolio Part of Transferred to Date Decree
Development Ministry of Development None 21 January 1861 Supreme Decree 21-01-1861
Foreign Affairs Ministry of Finance Ministry of Foreign Affairs

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Died in office of natural causes.[8]
  2. ^ Argentine.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d "Decreto Supremo de 14 de enero de 1861". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (in Spanish). 14 January 1861. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Decreto Supremo de 21 de enero de 1861". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (in Spanish). 21 January 1861. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  3. ^ Mesa Gisbert 2003, p. 270
  4. ^ a b Irurozqui 2009, p. 134
  5. ^ "Decreto Supremo de 15 de enero de 1861". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (in Spanish). 15 January 1861. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b Irurozqui 2009, p. 135
  7. ^ "Ley de 4 de mayo de 1861". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (in Spanish). 4 May 1861. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b Mesa Gisbert 2003, pp. 256–257
  9. ^ Moreno 1886, p. 334
  10. ^ "Ricardo José Bustamante | Literato, Escritor y Diplomático". rree.gob.bo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2021.

Bibliography

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