Forum links the energy crisis to the economic crisis and calls for consensus on the country’s future
Presidential Forum Bolivia 2025: Energy, Economy and Future prioritized issues that are often evaded or postponed in political discourse
ISSUE 144 | 2025
Vesna Marinkovic U.
With the participation of representatives from political groups, candidates, and experts, the forum was organized by the National Association of Economists (CONEB), the Private University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (UPSA), and ENERGÍABolivia magazine, from Grupo CECAL S.R.L., with the aim of bringing political actors’ proposals closer to the public and encouraging constructive analysis at a critical time for Bolivia.
Juan Fernando Subirana, moderator of the event, highlighted in the closing remarks that the value of the forum lay in its success in connecting two crises that are, in fact, one: the energy crisis that led to a financial crisis, and which today is evolving into an economic crisis, with the latent risk of becoming a humanitarian crisis. He emphasized that the current economic deterioration is unlikely to be immediately reversed and that the country now places its hopes in the next government, which will take office after the August elections.
1. What reforms do you propose for the hydrocarbons sector in light of the decline in natural gas production and exports?
2. What is your position regarding fuel subsidies and imports? Would you eliminate them, reduce them, or maintain the current model?
3. What strategy do you have to promote a real transition to renewable energies without compromising energy security, involving the private sector and academia?
4. What is your plan to exploit lithium and other strategic resources with added value, such as water, considering current geopolitical tensions?
5. How will you attract new foreign direct investment for energy exploration and technological renewal under a risk-sharing scheme?
6. What role do you assign to ENDE, YPFB and other state-owned companies in the country's new energy model?
7. What role should Bolivia play in the climate change agenda and international cooperation for development?
QUESTIONS ASKED IN BLOCK 2: NATIONAL VISION, INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND SUSTAINABILITY
1. What is your diagnosis of Bolivia’s current economic situation and how do you plan to address fiscal and monetary imbalances?
2. How will you promote a reform of public spending that prioritizes efficiency, investment, and sustainability?
3. What role should the private sector play in economic recovery? What would your tax policy be regarding taxes, royalties, and revenue sharing over the coming years?
4. What institutional reforms do you consider a priority to ensure legal certainty and the stability of the rules of the game?
5. What measures will you take to restore confidence in the national currency and relieve pressure on the exchange rate?
6. What measures will you take to strengthen transparency, reduce corruption, and improve the efficiency of public spending?
7. What will your strategy be to recover and strengthen multilateral relations with neighboring countries and strategic partners?
NO ENERGY IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE ONE YOU DON’T HAVE
Subirana also emphasized that one of the strongest points of consensus within the forum was that “no energy is more expensive than the one you don’t have”a phrase that summed up the spirit of the gathering. “This included the discussion on gas and fossil fuels, which still account for 55% of the energy matrix, as well as the growth of renewable energies, which now reach 12% and could continue expanding,” he stated.
Regarding lithium, participants agreed that it is not a business that will decisively transform the national economy. However, they highlighted the enormous potential of green bonds, a field in which Bolivia has yet to fully integrate into the international market. Subirana noted that, for this to happen, the attending candidates stressed the need to strengthen institutions, reform regulations, and modernize the legal framework because, as was said, “it’s hard to ask for new planting with the law that ended the harvest.”
FISCAL MANAGEMENT
On fiscal management, Subirana stated there was clear consensus on the need to reduce the deficit, while acknowledging the challenge of addressing the social debt owed to the Bolivian people. He also highlighted the role assigned to technology as a key tool to fight corruption an agreement expressed unanimously and forcefully.
“Although there were different views on the pace of reform some proposed immediate measures, others more gradual processes the forum clearly showed that there are more points of agreement than disagreement on the country’s diagnosis and the path that must be followed,” the moderator concluded at the close of the event, which brought together a large audience interested in hearing the candidates’ proposals on energy, economy, and the future of Bolivia during a difficult and complex crisis.
Finally, the organizers thanked all participants for their time and commitment to democratic debate, ending the event with a call to applaud the valuable contributions of those who, from various fronts, are working to build proposals for a more sustainable and just future for Bolivia.
INVITEES
Invited to the forum were Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga of Alianza Libre, who did not attend and did not send a representative; Samuel Doria Medina of Alianza Unidad, represented by José Luis Lupo, vice-presidential candidate; Rodrigo Paz Pereira, presidential candidate for the Christian Democratic Party (PDC); and Jorge Richter, vice-presidential candidate for MORENA, the party of presidential candidate Eva Copa. Manfred Reyes Villa of APB Súmate declined the invitation and also did not send a representative, as did Eduardo del Castillo of MAS IPSP.
The forum was aimed at promoting technical and forward-looking analysis from the country’s main presidential candidates. The objective was to create a plural, serious, and structured space where the candidates could present their visions on the most relevant issues that will shape Bolivia’s future especially in the economic, energy, and institutional spheres.
The attending candidates had the opportunity to respond to 14 questions related to the energy and economic sectors, which were previously sent to them to ensure consistent responses and to offer attendees and the public serious, coherent, and valuable proposals for a country devastated by improvisation.
