Manfred Reyes Villa

Manfred Armando Antonio Reyes Villa Bacigalupi (born 19 April 1955) is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former military officer. He was the mayor of the city of Cochabamba^[1] from 1994 to 2000, and became the elected Prefect of the Department of Cochabamba from 2006 until 2008 when he was recalled in that year's no confidence referendum.^[2][3]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Reyes Villa and the second or maternal family name is Bacigalupi.

This Spanish surname is barreled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Reyes Villa, not Reyes.

Manfred Reyes Villa
Reyes Villa in 2023
Mayor of Cochabamba
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 May 2021
Preceded by	Ivan Tellería (interim)
In office 10 January 1994 – 24 April 2000
Preceded by	Humberto Coronel Rivas
Succeeded by	Gonzalo Gabriel 0Terceros Rojas (interim)
Prefect of Cochabamba
In office 23 January 2006 – 10 August 2008
Preceded by	Walter Céspedes Ramallo
Succeeded by	Rafael Puente (interim)
Personal details
Born	(1955-04-19) 19 April 1955 (age 70) La Paz, Bolivia
Political party	APB Súmate (2024–present)
Other political affiliations	Súmate (2021–present) PPB-CN (2009–2013) NFR (1995–2009) ADN (before 1995)
Spouse	Patricia Avilés
Children	7
Parents	Armando Reyes Villa Rosario Bacigalupi
Education	Military College of the Army
Website	Campaign website
Military service
Allegiance	Bolivia
Branch	Bolivian Army
Service years	1977–1986
Rank	Captain

Early life

Villa was born on 19 April 1955 in La Paz, Bolivia.^[4] Villa is the son of Armando Reyes Villa, who was the Minister of Defense during Luis García Meza's dictatorship.^[5] From February to April 1976, he attended courses at the School of the Americas as a cadet in Combat Arms Basic C-2.^[5]

Afterwards, he became a military attaché at the Bolivian embassies in Brazil and the United States, and was an aide to Luis García Meza.^[6] According to the newspaper Hoy, Villa was involved in the Harrington Street Massacre of 1981, where eight members of the MIR-NM were killed.^[6] He retired from the military in 1986 and settled in the United States, where he pursued a career in business administration and became Vice President of the Crawford International Silver Spring in Maryland.^[7]

Political career

Villa returned soon after to Bolivia in the early 1990s to join the Nationalist Democratic Action.^[7] Eventually, he convinced the party to establish an alliance with the center-left Free Bolivia Movement.^[7] In 1992, he assumed the vice-presidency of the Municipal Council of Cochabamba, before being elected mayor of the city the following year.^[8]

He was an unsuccessful candidate for president in both 2002 and 2009, being the runner-up in the latter. In 2009, he relocated to the United States, living in Miami for nearly 10 years.^[9]

Reyes Villa successfully ran for mayor of Cochabamba once again in the 2021 Bolivian regional elections, winning with 55% of the popular vote.^[10][11]