# Santa Cruz departmental legislative developments

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/santa-cruz-departmental-legislative-developments
> Updated: 2026-10-22T20:00:18.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

The Santa Cruz Departmental Legislative Assembly approved a law to create a Departmental Ombudsman. This new institution is designed as a decentralized body within the departmental Executive branch to protect the rights of the population and monitor public institutions. While it will be part of the Governor’s institutional structure, the law grants it technical and administrative autonomy to ensure it does not replace or interfere with the national Ombudsman.

Following the promulgation of Law 429 to establish the Ombudsman, acting Governor Paola Aguirre submitted a bill to the National Congress to amend the Organic Law of the Public Ministry. This proposal seeks to grant departmental legislative assemblies the authority to elect departmental prosecutors, aiming to replace the current system of designation by the Attorney General with a merit-based process.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-22: Santa Cruz authorities propose legislative reforms in Bolivia

Santa Cruz has established a new Departmental Ombudsman and proposed a law to allow departmental assemblies to elect prosecutors.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santa-cruz-authorities-propose-legislative-reforms-in-bolivia

### 2026-10-15: Santa Cruz approves law to create Departmental Ombudsman

The Santa Cruz Departmental Legislative Assembly approved a law to create a Departmental Ombudsman to protect citizens' rights and oversee public institutions with technical autonomy.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santa-cruz-approves-law-to-create-departmental-ombudsman

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Cite as: Santa Cruz departmental legislative developments. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/santa-cruz-departmental-legislative-developments