David Cortés (politician)

Early life and career

David Cortés entered the world on March 1, 1955, in Potosí, the son of David Cortés Rivera and Aurelia Villegas. He spent his childhood in the mining town of Catavi, attending the Marshal Sucre School for primary education before relocating to Sucre in 1968. There, he finished secondary school at the Junín National School.

Cortés pursued two fields of study at once: medicine and education. He completed six semesters of medical training and earned a teaching degree from the Marshal Sucre Normal School. Later, at Tomás Frías University, he obtained a degree in educational administration and a master’s in educational management.

While in university, he also spent twelve years as a professional football goalkeeper, playing for River Plate and Independiente Petrolero. As a teenager, he witnessed the San Juan massacre, where the Armed Forces shot striking miners. This event pushed him into labor activism. Opposing the military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s, he joined the Communist Party of Bolivia, becoming a public leader for the education and mining sectors.

In 1980, he helped found the National Confederation of Student Teachers and served as its executive secretary. After Luis García Meza’s coup that same year, Cortés was arrested and forced into the Army’s 10th Division in Tupiza for three years. Banned from political work, he briefly played football again for Potosí’s 1º de Mayo club.

Chamber of Deputies

Cortés's popularity led the Social Alliance to nominate him for a Chamber of Deputies seat in circumscription 37, covering the municipality of Potosí, in the 2009 general election. His popularity and René Joaquino's political presence secured his victory. In the Chamber, he was a leading member of the Parliamentary Network for Children and Adolescents and continued his tradition of celebrating Christmas as Santa Claus. Throughout his five-year term, he served as fourth secretary on the lower chamber's directorate, presenting twelve bills, four of which became law.

Midway through his term, he distanced himself from the Social Alliance and aligned with the Movement for Socialism, regularly voting for its projects. He did not seek reelection and retired from politics. He died in La Paz in October 2015, less than a year after leaving office. After a brief memorial at the Legislative Assembly, his remains were interred in La Paz's Jardín Cemetery.