Manfred Reyes Villa

Manfred Reyes Villa
Reyes Villa in 2023
Mayor of Cochabamba
Assumed office
3 May 2021
Preceded byIvan Tellería (interim)
In office
10 January 1994 – 24 April 2000
Preceded byHumberto Coronel Rivas
Succeeded byGonzalo Gabriel
Terceros Rojas (interim)
Prefect of Cochabamba
In office
23 January 2006 – 10 August 2008
Preceded byWalter Céspedes Ramallo
Succeeded byRafael Puente (interim)
Personal details
BornManfred Armando Antonio Reyes Villa Bacigalupi
(1955-04-19) 19 April 1955 (age 70)
La Paz, Bolivia
PartyAPB Súmate (2024–present)
Other political
affiliations
SpousePatricia Avilés
Children7
Parents
  • Armando Reyes Villa
  • Rosario Bacigalupi
EducationMilitary College of the Army
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Allegiance Bolivia
Branch Bolivian Army
Service years1977–1986
RankCaptain

Manfred Armando Antonio Reyes Villa Bacigalupi (born 19 April 1955) is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former military officer. He was the mayor of the city of Cochabamba[1] from 1994 to 2000, and became the elected Prefect of the Department of Cochabamba from 2006 until 2008 when he was recalled in that year's no confidence referendum.[2][3]

Early life

Villa was born on 19 April 1955 in La Paz, Bolivia.[4] Villa is the son of Armando Reyes Villa, who was the Minister of Defense during Luis García Meza's dictatorship.[5] From February to April 1976, he attended courses at the School of the Americas as a cadet in Combat Arms Basic C-2.[5]

Afterwards, he became a military attaché at the Bolivian embassies in Brazil and the United States, and was an aide to Luis García Meza.[6] According to the newspaper Hoy, Villa was involved in the Harrington Street Massacre of 1981, where eight members of the MIR-NM were killed.[6] He retired from the military in 1986 and settled in the United States, where he pursued a career in business administration and became Vice President of the Crawford International Silver Spring in Maryland.[7]

Political career

Villa returned soon after to Bolivia in the early 1990s to join the Nationalist Democratic Action.[7] Eventually, he convinced the party to establish an alliance with the center-left Free Bolivia Movement.[7] In 1992, he assumed the vice-presidency of the Municipal Council of Cochabamba, before being elected mayor of the city the following year.[8]

He was an unsuccessful candidate for president in both 2002 and 2009, being the runner-up in the latter. In 2009, he relocated to the United States, living in Miami for nearly 10 years.[9]

Reyes Villa successfully ran for mayor of Cochabamba once again in the 2021 Bolivian regional elections, winning with 55% of the popular vote.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ Goldstein, Daniel M. (2004). The Spectacular City: Violence and Performance in Urban Bolivia. Duke University Press. pp. 80–81. ISBN 9780822333708.
  2. ^ "Bolivia.- Evo Morales designa a Pablo Ramos y Rafael Puente prefectos interinos en La Paz y Cochabamba". Europa Press. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Bolivia: Elecciones de Prefectos 2005". pdba.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Manfred Reyes Villa es el mejor alcalde de la historia de Cochabamba". BOLIVIA PRENSA (in European Spanish). 11 September 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Ukhampacha Bolivia: Portrait of a Recycled Military Officer". Ukhampacha Bolivia. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ a b "Cochabamba. Enero Negro: 16 años de impunidad". La Izquierda Diario (in Spanish). 11 January 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Manfred Reyes Villa, candidato presidencial de Nueva Fuerza Republicana | Noticias | elmundo.es". El Mundo. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Manfred ve el final de su carrera política; sus detractores creen que es una estrategia - Agencias de Noticias Fides". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Bolivia: opositor "huyó" a EE.UU". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). 5 January 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Tras apelación, TSE habilita Manfred Reyes Villa como candidato a la alcaldía de Cochabamba". www.noticiasfides.com.
  11. ^ "Manfred Reyes Villa gana la Alcaldía de Cochabamba con el 55,63%".