Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo avoids censure in Bolivia

Bolivian Minister of Government Marco Antonio Oviedo avoided a vote of censure in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, following an interpellation regarding his administration's fight against drug trafficking.

During the session, Oviedo presented operational data, including 7,546 operations conducted by the FELCN, 446 destroyed drug factories, and the seizure of over 16,000 kg of cocaine and 375,000 kg of marijuana. A major point of contention involved the “narcomadera” case, where Chilean authorities reported finding controlled substances in 45 containers of Bolivian wood. Oviedo challenged these findings, stating that Bolivia has not yet received scientific samples to verify the presence of drugs and that Chilean authorities have not provided the necessary evidence to validate the claims.

The vote resulted in 82 legislators voting for “puro y simple” (maintaining the minister), 36 voting for censure, and 35 abstaining. While the minister retained his position, the session highlighted deep political divisions. Opposition members and some legislators from the Libre alliance criticized the government's management of security and the lack of transparency, while others questioned the effectiveness of the interpellation process itself.