Governor of Santa Cruz Department

For the governor of the Argentine province, see Governor of Santa Cruz Province.

The governor of Santa Cruz is the head of government of the Bolivian department of Santa Cruz. Established by the 2009 Constitution of Bolivia, the office of governor superseded the office of prefect, which was historically appointed by the president of Bolivia but in 2005 was made subject to popular will by election. The governor is eligible to be elected to two five-year terms, but must resign from office six months in advance of an election if they wish to be consecutively reelected.

Governor of Santa Cruz
Departmental coat of arms
Incumbent Luis Fernando Camacho since 3 May 2021
Executive branch of Santa Cruz Department
Status	Head of state Head of government
Seat	Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Appointer	Popular vote (two rounds if necessary)
Term length	Five years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Bolivia
Precursor	Prefect of Santa Cruz
Inaugural holder	Rubén Costas
Formation	30 May 2010; 14 years ago (2010-05-30)
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of Santa Cruz
Website	www.santacruz.gob.bo

Three individuals have held the office of governor of Santa Cruz since its creation in 2010. Rubén Costas, the first popularly elected prefect but last to serve in that role, took office as the first governor on 30 May 2010. Costas was the longest-serving governor, serving a cumulative 10 years and 5 months between his two terms. Ruth Lozada was the first woman to hold the governorship, serving as acting governor while Costas sought reelection. The current governor is Luis Fernando Camacho, who took office on 3 May 2021.

List of governors

Term		Governor		Party		Designation	Lieutenant
1	30 May 2010 – 11 December 2014 Resigned [1][2]		Rubén Costas (b. 1955)		Verdes	2010 gubernatorial election	Non-existent 30 May 2010 – 3 May 2021 [3][4]
Office vacant 11–22 December 2014.
–	22 December 2014 – 30 May 2015 End of mandate [5]		Ruth Lozada (b. 1959)		Verdes	Elected by the Departmental Legislative Assembly (President of the Legislative Assembly)
1	30 May 2015 – 3 May 2021 End of term [6]		Rubén Costas (b. 1955)		Social Democratic	2015 gubernatorial election
2	3 May 2021 – Incumbent [7]		Luis Fernando Camacho (b. 1979)		Creemos	2021 gubernatorial election		Mario Aguilera
Term		Governor		Party		Designation	Lieutenant

References

1. "Juran autoridades de la Bolivia autonómica". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. May 30, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
2. Condori, Iván (December 12, 2014). "Costas dimite y Lozada gobernará Santa Cruz". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
3. Corz, Carlos (November 13, 2020). "Legislativo cruceño aprueba ley para elegir un vicegobernador en la estructura de la gobernación". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
4. Pereyra, Omar (March 9, 2021). "Mario Aguilera, el primer vicegobernador de Santa Cruz, agradece el apoyo de la población". eju! (in Spanish). Gigavisión. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
5. "Dos mujeres toman el mando político en la capital oriental". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. December 14, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
6. "Rubén Costas comienza su tercer mandato". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. May 30, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
7. "Camacho jura como Gobernador; le dice a Arce que deje la 'persecución' y le ofrece 'trabajar juntos'". Erbol (in Spanish). May 3, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2022.