Óscar Zamora Medinaceli
Encyclopedia
Óscar Zamora Medinaceli is a is a Bolivia
n politician
and lawyer. A communist student activist in his youth and leader of a failed Maoist insurgency in the 1970s, Zamora Medinaceli went on to become a senator, minister, mayor, ambassador and prefect.
, working at the office of the International Union of Students
.
, Zamora Medinaceli had developed close links with the Chinese communists. Upon his return to Bolivia, he formed an oppositional tendency inside the Communist Party of Bolivia
along with Raúl Ruiz González and Luis Arratia. Zamora Medinaceli's group were expelled from the Communist Party in August 1964 in connection with the second party congress held. His followers founded the pro-Chinese Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist-Leninist)
(PCB(ML)) in 1965, in which Zamora Medinaceli was the main leader.
and Régis Debray
during the 1960s. Zamora Medinaceli had been part of the CODEP delegation (which also included Guillermo Lora
and Lidia Gueiler Tejada
) to the Latin American Solidarity Organization in Havanna in January 1966, but which was expelled from Cuba
. Nevertheless, contacts between Zamora Medinaceli and the Cubans continued. In the end PCB(ML) never offered any concrete support to Guevara's guerrilla effort. Zamora Medinaceli did however continue to defend Guevara's guerrilla struggle publicly. Zamora Medinaceli is harshly criticized by Fidel Castro
in his preface to Guevara's Bolivian Diaries. The refusal of Zamora Medinaceli to support to Guevara's initiative in 1967 remained a bone of contention between Maoists and Guevarists in Latin America for several years to come. Zamora Medinaceli wrote a lengthy rebuttal to Castro in 1968, in which he stated that Guevara himself had not accused the PCB(ML) of betrayal, that PCB(ML) had discussed plans for an armed insurrection during a visit to Cuba in 1964, that the PCB(ML) had been unaware of Guevara's arrival in Bolivia and that Castro had aligned himself with the 'revisionists' during the 1964 Latin American conference of Communist Parties.
region in 1970. UCAPO was able to integrate some structures of the National Liberation Army
and regroup some of its members. Zamora Medinaceli was however captured, along with three other UCAPO militants, by Rangers following the seizure by UCAPO of the Chané ranch in 1970. The arsenal of the captured group included two revolvers and some Mao Zedong pamphlets. Zamora Medinaceli's capture was a severe blow for the underground PCB(ML). Soon after being detained, he was summarily deported to Argentina
. He did however return to the country soon afterwards. In response to the failures of the UCAPO rebellion, Zamora Medinaceli later declared himself to be a 'social democrat
' and a supporter of parliamentarism.
(FRI). He was elected to the Senate of Bolivia several times; in 1979, 1982, 1989 and 1997 (during the latter period, his alternate was Raymundo Asseff Goméz). In 1986 he served as the president of the Senate. He served as mayor of Tarija 1987 to 1989, 1994 to 1996 and 1996 to 1997. He was the Bolivian Minister of Labour between 1989 and 1992.
In the 1993 presidential election Zamora Medinaceli was the vice-presidential candidate of Hugo Banzer. Zamora Medinaceli's candidature did raise some eyebrows, not the least since it was under Banzer's command that he had gotten deported from the country during the UCAPO rebellion.
Zamora Medinaceli was candidate for mayor of Tarija in the 1999 municipal elections, and finished in third place with 16.64% of the votes.
for a period. He was elected to the Senate in 2002.
He was again candidate for mayor of Tarija in the 2004 municipal elections. Zamora Medinaceli finished second, with 13.8% of the votes.
In September 2005 he was elected head of the Tarija Parliamentarian Brigade.
He was elected to the Bolivian Constituent Assembly
in 2006.
In September 2007 he suffered an emboli, and was forced to leave the Constituent Assembly.
. Zamora Medinaceli had played an important role in shaping the political views of his nephew, for example he arranged for Paz Zamora to stay in Albania for six months during his university period in Europe. When Paz Zamora became president, he appointed Zamora Medinaceli as Minister of Labour.
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and lawyer. A communist student activist in his youth and leader of a failed Maoist insurgency in the 1970s, Zamora Medinaceli went on to become a senator, minister, mayor, ambassador and prefect.
Student activist
Zamora Medinaceli entered politics through activism in the student movement. In 1951 he became the executive secretary of the High School Students Federation of Tarija. Between 1954 and 1958 he served as the executive secretary of the Local University Federation of Tarija. He was also a founder and leader of the Communist Youth of Bolivia. In 1954 he became the founding chairman of the Tarija Civic Youth Committee. He became the executive secretary of the Bolivian University Confederation, a nation-wide university students movement. Between 1961 and 1964 he was stationed in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, working at the office of the International Union of Students
International Union of Students
The International Union of Students is a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations.The IUS is the umbrella organization for 155 such student organizations across 112 countries and territories representing approximately 25 million students.-Aim and work areas:The aims of...
.
Split in the Communist Party
During his tenure in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Zamora Medinaceli had developed close links with the Chinese communists. Upon his return to Bolivia, he formed an oppositional tendency inside the Communist Party of Bolivia
Communist Party of Bolivia
The Communist Party of Bolivia is a communist party in Bolivia. It was founded in 1950 by Raúl Ruiz González and other former members of the Revolutionary Left Party . It remained small and did not hold its first national party congress until 1959....
along with Raúl Ruiz González and Luis Arratia. Zamora Medinaceli's group were expelled from the Communist Party in August 1964 in connection with the second party congress held. His followers founded the pro-Chinese Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist-Leninist)
Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist-Leninist)
The Communist Party of Bolivia was a political party in Bolivia. PCB emerged as a pro-People's Republic of China splinter-group of the Communist Party of Bolivia in 1965...
(PCB(ML)) in 1965, in which Zamora Medinaceli was the main leader.
Che in Bolivia
Zamora Medinaceli had contacts with Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
and Régis Debray
Régis Debray
Jules Régis Debray is a French intellectual, journalist, government official and professor. He is known for his theorization of mediology, a critical theory of the long-term transmission of cultural meaning in human society; and for having fought in 1967 with Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in...
during the 1960s. Zamora Medinaceli had been part of the CODEP delegation (which also included Guillermo Lora
Guillermo Lora
Guillermo Lora was a Trotskyist leader in Bolivia. Lora was active in the Revolutionary Workers' Party from the early 1940s and was its best known leader....
and Lidia Gueiler Tejada
Lidia Gueiler Tejada
Lidia Gueiler Tejada was the first female President of Bolivia, serving in an interim capacity from 1979 to 1980...
) to the Latin American Solidarity Organization in Havanna in January 1966, but which was expelled from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Nevertheless, contacts between Zamora Medinaceli and the Cubans continued. In the end PCB(ML) never offered any concrete support to Guevara's guerrilla effort. Zamora Medinaceli did however continue to defend Guevara's guerrilla struggle publicly. Zamora Medinaceli is harshly criticized by Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
in his preface to Guevara's Bolivian Diaries. The refusal of Zamora Medinaceli to support to Guevara's initiative in 1967 remained a bone of contention between Maoists and Guevarists in Latin America for several years to come. Zamora Medinaceli wrote a lengthy rebuttal to Castro in 1968, in which he stated that Guevara himself had not accused the PCB(ML) of betrayal, that PCB(ML) had discussed plans for an armed insurrection during a visit to Cuba in 1964, that the PCB(ML) had been unaware of Guevara's arrival in Bolivia and that Castro had aligned himself with the 'revisionists' during the 1964 Latin American conference of Communist Parties.
UCAPO insurgency
Under the code-name 'Comandante Rolando' he led the irregular rebel group Poor Peasants Union (UCAPO), which began militant actions in the Santa CruzSanta Cruz Department
Santa Cruz, with an area of 370,621 km², is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia. In the 2001 census, it reported a population of 2,029,471. The capital is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The state is one of the wealthiest states in Bolivia with huge reserves of...
region in 1970. UCAPO was able to integrate some structures of the National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army (Bolivia)
The National Liberation Army was a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization that operated in Bolivia during the 1960s and 1970s. It was formed by Che Guevara and backed by Fidel Castro's government in Cuba and the Soviet-led alliance in the Cold War...
and regroup some of its members. Zamora Medinaceli was however captured, along with three other UCAPO militants, by Rangers following the seizure by UCAPO of the Chané ranch in 1970. The arsenal of the captured group included two revolvers and some Mao Zedong pamphlets. Zamora Medinaceli's capture was a severe blow for the underground PCB(ML). Soon after being detained, he was summarily deported to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He did however return to the country soon afterwards. In response to the failures of the UCAPO rebellion, Zamora Medinaceli later declared himself to be a 'social democrat
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
' and a supporter of parliamentarism.
Parliamentarian and Revolutionary Left Front leader
He later became the founding chairman of the Revolutionary Left FrontRevolutionary Left Front
-Foundation:FRI was formed at a national conference of leftwing forces, held in La Paz April 23, 1978. The meeting was organized by an initiative committee . The founding of FRI in April 1978 was a formalization of an already existing informal cooperation between different political groups...
(FRI). He was elected to the Senate of Bolivia several times; in 1979, 1982, 1989 and 1997 (during the latter period, his alternate was Raymundo Asseff Goméz). In 1986 he served as the president of the Senate. He served as mayor of Tarija 1987 to 1989, 1994 to 1996 and 1996 to 1997. He was the Bolivian Minister of Labour between 1989 and 1992.
In the 1993 presidential election Zamora Medinaceli was the vice-presidential candidate of Hugo Banzer. Zamora Medinaceli's candidature did raise some eyebrows, not the least since it was under Banzer's command that he had gotten deported from the country during the UCAPO rebellion.
Zamora Medinaceli was candidate for mayor of Tarija in the 1999 municipal elections, and finished in third place with 16.64% of the votes.
Later political career
Zamora Medinaceli was appointed Bolivian ambassador to China, but renounced his position in order to return to political life in Bolivia and stand as a candidate in the 2002 elections. During the early 2000s, he served as prefect of the Tarija DepartmentTarija Department
Tarija is a department in Bolivia. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering Argentina to the south and Paraguay to the east. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 391,226 inhabitants. It has an area of 37.623 km²...
for a period. He was elected to the Senate in 2002.
He was again candidate for mayor of Tarija in the 2004 municipal elections. Zamora Medinaceli finished second, with 13.8% of the votes.
In September 2005 he was elected head of the Tarija Parliamentarian Brigade.
He was elected to the Bolivian Constituent Assembly
Bolivian Constituent Assembly
The Bolivian Constituent Assembly, convened on August 6, 2006 in Sucre, with the purpose of drafting a new national constitution by December 14, 2007; extended from the original deadline of August 6, 2007. The Assembly approved the new Political Constitution of the State on 9 December 2007...
in 2006.
In September 2007 he suffered an emboli, and was forced to leave the Constituent Assembly.
Family
Zamora Medinaceli is the uncle of the Bolivian politician Jaime Paz ZamoraJaime Paz Zamora
Jaime Paz Zamora was President of Bolivia from August 6, 1989 to August 6, 1993. He also served as Vice-President between 1982 and 1984.-Foundation of the MIR and alliance with Siles Zuazo:...
. Zamora Medinaceli had played an important role in shaping the political views of his nephew, for example he arranged for Paz Zamora to stay in Albania for six months during his university period in Europe. When Paz Zamora became president, he appointed Zamora Medinaceli as Minister of Labour.