Bolivia's Constitutional Court President Paola Prudencio Highlights Severe Underfunding and Oruro Charter Stagnation

Paola Prudencio, president of Bolivia's Tribunal Constitucional Plurinacional (TCP), told EL DEBER that the court operates with only 0.22% of the budget of the Supreme Court and 0.35% of the state’s general budget. She noted that the TCP works from a municipal building in Sucre that can host 100 staff while 300 employees are present, describing the situation as “estamos en una condición de comodato, en un ambiente que le pertenece al Gobierno municipal de Sucre.” The court relies on equipment older than 30 years and faces roughly 20,000 pending cases, with about 5,000 new filings each year but only 3,000 cases drawn for resolution.

During a visit to Oruro, Prudencio warned that the municipality’s organic charter remains stalled after 17 years of constitutional mandate. She urged local officials, including mayor Iván Quispe and council members, to reactivate the process, stating that “la carta orgánica del municipio continúa sin avances.” The lack of progress threatens municipal autonomy and highlights broader challenges in the delivery of constitutional justice in Bolivia.