Samuel Doria Medina

Early life

Samuel Doria Medina was born on 4 December 1958 in [La Paz at the Virgen de Copacabana Clinic on 20th Avenue. He graduated high school at the Nuestra Señora de Luján School, a Marist Brothers school, where in 1976 he witnessed the Argentine coup d'etat in Luján. He then studied economics and business administration at Universidad Católica Boliviana, and then earned his master's in economics at Arizona State University in the United States and his PhD in economics with a speciality in public finance from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom. From a young age he was active in politics, joining the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR).

Businesses

Apart from cement, Doria Medina operates hotel chains and holds the Bolivian franchise for Burger King.

Politics

In the 1990s, Doria Medina served as minister of planning during the presidency of Jaime Paz Zamora.

He is the leader of the National Unity Front and represented the party alongside Carlos Fernando Dabdoub Arrien in the December 2005 presidential election. In that election, Doria Medina finished 3rd with 7.8% of the national vote. He ran again in the 2009 elections and won 5.65% of the vote. Doria Medina ran once again in the 2014 elections; coming out second with 25.1% of the vote. He ran again for president in the 2025 elections but placed third in the first round and failed to advance to the runoff.

He has sought to position himself and his party as a moderate third force in Bolivian politics.

Personal life

Doria Medina married Nidia Monje Postigo in 1983 and has six children.

On 21 January 2005, Medina was travelling aboard a Cessna 208 Caravan, operated by Línea Aérea Amaszonas, that crashed into the Huaricollo Mountain Range, near the Colquiri mine. All eleven occupants on board the aircraft survived the accident, though many were injured.

References

References

1. (2021-12-15). "Elizabeth Reyes es la nueva presidenta de UN y Doria Medina, secretario general". [[Página Siete]].
2. Doria Medina, Samuel. (16 December 2014). "Samuel Doria Medina Sells Soboce to Completely Devote Himself to the Bolivian People".
3. (1998). "Entierro sin muerte: el secuestro de Doria Medina por el MRTA". Aguilar.
4. (9 November 2024). "Samuel Doria Medina, el empresario millonario que sobrevivió a la caída de un avión, estuvo secuestrado, se curó del cáncer y quiere ser presidente de Bolivia". Clarín.
5. (2005). "La democracia bajo fuego (1979-2005)". Fundemos.
6. (20 May 2025). "El 50% de los candidatos a la presidencia y vicepresidencia de Bolivia tienen perfil económico". EJU.
7. (1990). "Democracia y recuperación económica en América Latina". Publicaciones Mexicanas.
8. (20 May 2025). "Uno por uno: ¿quiénes son y cuál es la trayectoria de los 10 aspirantes a la Presidencia?". EJU.
9. (31 July 2025). "Meet the multimillionaire who wants to be Bolivia’s first right-wing president elected in 20 years". AP News.
10. "A political shift ahead? What to know about Bolivia’s presidential election".
11. "Elections: Bolivian Presidency 2005 General".
12. "Elections: Bolivian Presidency 2009 General".
13. "Elections: Bolivian Presidency 2014 General".
14. (18 August 2025). "Bolivia set to elect first non-left wing president in two decades". BBC.
15. [http://momento24.com/en/2009/12/07/bolivia-opposition-acknowledges-evo-morales-victory Bolivia opposition acknowledge Evo Morales victory] 7 December 2009 {{webarchive. (7 March 2012). link
16. "Candidato a la vicepresidencia FUERZA POLÍTICA JUNTOS".
17. Ranter, Harro. "Accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan CP-2412, Friday 21 January 2005".
18. (21 January 2005). "Samuel Doria Medina sufre accidente de aviación".