Cecilia Requena

Cecilia Isabel Requena Zárate (born 5 March 1967) is a Bolivian academic, environmentalist, and politician serving as senator for La Paz since 2020. Educated at the Bolivian Catholic University with postgraduate experience at institutes in Europe and the Americas, Requena got her career start as an environmental activist, holding leadership positions in prominent environmental rights agencies. She later did consulting and research work for non-government organizations such as the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, even directing the Bolivian branch of Transparency International.

A critic of the extractivist policies of President Evo Morales, in 2019, Requena ran for a seat in the Senate as part of the opposition Civic Community's all-female roster of senatorial candidates. Following the annulment of those results, Requena was re-nominated for the 2020 general election and won the seat, becoming the first opposition senator to represent La Paz in over a decade. Requena's tenure focused its work on environmental policy, particularly calling out the continued support for extractive industries under Morales's successor, Luis Arce.