Carlos Mesa

President of Bolivia

Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert 12 August 1953 La Paz, Bolivia

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17 October 2003 – 9 June 2005

For the Colombian Olympic cyclist, see Carlos Mesa (cyclist). In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mesa and the second or maternal family name is Gisbert. Carlos Mesa63rd President of BoliviaIn office 17 October 2003 – 9 June 2005Vice President VacantPreceded by Gonzalo Sánchez de LozadaSucceeded by Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé (interim) 37th Vice President of BoliviaIn office 6 August 2002 – 17 October 2003PresidentGonzalo Sanchez de LozadaPreceded by Jorge Quiroga RamírezSucceeded by Álvaro García Linera Personal detailsBornCarlos Diego Mesa Gisbert (1953-08-12 ) 12 August 1953 (age 68) La Paz, BoliviaNationalityBolivianPolitical partyRevolutionary Left Front (2018–present) Independent (2003–2018) Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (2002–2003) Other political affiliationsCivic Community (political coalition) Spouse(s)Elvira Salinas de MesaAlma materComplutense University of Madrid, Universidad Mayor de San AndrésSignatureWebsitecarlosdmesa.com Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert (born 12 August 1953) is a Bolivian historian and politician who served as the 63rd President of Bolivia from 2003 to 2005. He was the 37th Vice President of Bolivia from 2002 to 2003. Mesa previously had been a television journalist. His widespread recognition prompted the MNR candidate Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada to pick him as running mate in the 2002 Bolivian presidential elections. The winning ticket of Sánchez-Mesa took office 6 August 2002. Soon after becoming vice president, a wave of protests and strikes shut down Bolivia in a bitter dispute known as the Bolivian Gas War. The government's repression of said demonstrations eventually lead Mesa to withdraw support for Sánchez de Lozada, whose resignation put Mesa forward as president. Mesa's presidency was marked by a continuation of the Bolivian gas crisis and the delicate sociopolitical status it created. Mesa resigned on 9 June 2005 amid heavy dissatisfaction with his government and pressure from labor unions, coca activists, members of the Santa Cruz autonomist movement, citizen protest, and the growing MAS-IPSP party, figure-headed by future president Evo Morales. After his presidency, Mesa was a spokesman for Bolivia in the Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean case in the International Court of Justice, which was ultimately unsuccessful. Mesa has attempted to be elected president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in his own right, running for the centre-left alliance Civic Community (CC), twice in 2019 and 2020. The 2019 election, in which Mesa came second place to President Morales, was annulled after widespread allegations of fraud. In the 2020 election, Mesa lost to Luis Arce, to whom he conceded defeat without challenging the results of the election and calling the CC coalition to lead the Bolivian opposition. Mesa is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.