Rubén Costas
Rubén Armando Costas Aguilera is a Bolivian politician and the current governor of Bolivia's Santa Cruz department for the Truth and Social Democracy party. In 2013, he founded the Social Democrat Movement party to participate in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary election. Previously he served as prefect on behalf of the Autonomy for Bolivia party. He was one of the nine Bolivian prefects directly elected in the general elections of 2005. This election was the result of several negotiations and large, peaceful public demonstrations in Santa Cruz. The 1967 Bolivian constitution said that prefects can only be appointed by the president, but because of the popular demand and negotiations led by Costas, the Bolivian Congress approved Law 3015 to formalize the prefect election process.
Costas became the first elected prefect of Santa Cruz of the 21st century after leading the popular uprising demanding prefects, the highest elected office in the provinces, be elected by popular vote instead of appointed by the central government. This was a major victory for the autonomy movement, born out of the eastern region of Bolivia, that fought for decentralization of political power.
Since he took office, he has been strongly critical of the government of President Evo Morales because of Morales's opposition to decentralization.
