Irma Ledezma

Irma Herminia Ledezma Tambo (born 10 October 1959) is a Bolivian businesswoman, politician, and rancher who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from Beni, representing circumscription 61 from 2015 to 2020. Ledezma spent most of her professional career in the business of commerce and cattle ranching, two sectors vital to Beni's regional economy. She entered politics as a member of the Social Democratic Movement, representing the party in the Chamber of Deputies and serving as head of its Guayaramerín branch until 2020 before retiring upon the completion of her parliamentary term.

Early life and career
Irma Ledezma was born on 10 October 1959 in Guayaramerín, Beni. She dedicated much of her professional career to the fields of commerce and cattle ranching, two industries that rapidly expanded in the lowland Amazonian departments in the final decades of the twentieth century, driven, among other factors, by an influx of migration to Cobija, Guayaramerín, and Riberalta, as well as cross-border trade with Brazil. In Beni, in particular, the peripheral presence of the national government promoted the formation of a strong regional economic elite based in the agriculture, ranching, and lumber industries, who often took on public functions in the State's absence, such as the construction of local infrastructure. These works gained them a high degree of social standing, which often translated into political influence.

Election
Such was the case with Ledezma, who made her entry into politics as a member of the nascent Social Democratic Movement (MDS), composing part of the party's regional directorate. When the MDS contested its first general election in 2014, Ledezma was nominated to seek a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. She won by a comfortable majority in Beni's circumscription 61, the largest in the department, encompassing the provinces of Iténez, Mamoré, Yacuma, and portions of Vaca Díez.

Tenure
In parliament, Ledezma spent the entirety of her tenure on the Chamber of Deputies' Education Committee.[§] Upon the conclusion of her term in 2020, Ledezma retired from politics, resigning as head of the MDS's Guayaramerín branch. Hers was among a series of departures by top party officials suffered by the MDS around this time. The party had sought to establish itself as a national political force but was debilitated by its electoral failures in 2019 and 2020 and was ultimately relegated to a minor front following the 2021 municipal elections.

Commission assignments

 * Education and Health Commission
 * Education Committee (2015–2020)