Álvaro García Linera

Álvaro Marcelo García Linera (born October 19, 1962) is a Bolivian politician. He is the country's current vice president, after being elected in 2005 with Evo Morales. The two are members of the Movement for Socialism party.

He was born in Cochabamba and graduated from San Agustín High School. Then, he studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City and became a mathematician. Returning to his native Bolivia, he attempted to put some of his long-held socialist ideals to practice and joined the Katarist "Ayllus Rojos", a series of experimental, Marxist-inspired native communities in northwestern Bolivia. When this attempt at grass-roots politics failed to come to fruition, García Linera opted for a more radical approach. Alongside Felipe Quispe, he organized and worked in the insurgent Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army. After being caught destroying electrical distribution towers in rural La Paz, he was arrested and charged with insurrection and terrorism. While imprisoned, he studied sociology. After his release he worked as a university professor, political analyst, and news commentator. He was a well known academic, known for his support of indigenous and left-wing political movements in South America (in spite of his upper-middle class upbringing and the fact that he is White). He was elected vice president as the running mate to Evo Morales in the 2005 presidential elections. He is an advocate of nationalization of Bolivia's hydrocarbons industry.

See also

* [http://www.radiotomate.com Profile: Evo Morales and the New Wave of Democracy in Latin America (Audio)] — Audio on "Radio Tomate Latino"