Early life and education Mario Choque was born on 18 July 1954 in , a
mining settlement situated in the
Pazña Municipality of eastern
Oruro's
Poopó Province. The second in a family of siblings, his father made a living as a mineworker and later merchant, while his mother was a
homemaker who operated a small store. He completed his secondary studies in the
city of Oruro, at the Aniceto Arce National School, and fulfilled his term of
mandatory military service in
Guaqui,
La Paz, as part of the 5th Lanza Cavalry Regiment. Following his
discharge, Choque returned to Oruro to pursue
higher education. He attended the
Technical University of Oruro, graduating with degrees in
economics and
statistics from the institute's Faculty of Economic, Financial, and Administrative Scienceswhere he also worked as an aide. Choque was later brought on as a
docent at the university's School of Business Administration, where he taught lectures on
microeconomics for some time.
Career and community organizing Concurrent with his academic activities, Choque also pursued a career in the
mining sector. He held low- to mid-level positions within the Vinto Metallurgical Enterprise from 1979 on, remaining employed at the
state company for over two decades until his dismissal in 2000 following the mine's
privatization. During this time, Choque also did work in
consulting, lending his services to the German firm Berzelius on projects to revitalize the Vinto mine's internal operations. Following the mine's closure, Choque remained briefly involved in other mining operations: he served as an administrator at the Huanuni Mining Company and held posts within the . From there, Choque diversified his portfolio; alongside his employment at the Oruro branch of the National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Service, he continued to consult for the Oruro Telecommunications Cooperative from 1996 to 2007 and the
Inter-American Development Bank from 2002 to 2006for the latter, he also served as the organization's regional supervisor in Oruro. Outside career work, Choque also gained distinction as a
community organizer. He became especially involved in areas of
community engagement established by Bolivia's Popular Participation Law, particularly as a member of various vigilance committeesbodies composed of civil society organizations put in place to foster lines of communication with
local governments and grant the populace a greater degree of
social control over their municipal authorities. As head of his sector's OTB, Choque held membership in and served as president of the vigilance committee in
Poopó Municipality from 1999 to 2003. The position allowed his ascent to the departmental association of vigilance committees, which he chaired in 2001, and later the national association, where he held a seat on the directorate from 2001 to 2003. In the ensuing years, Choque also presided over the Juan de la Salle Neighborhood Council in the city of Oruro from 2007 to 2010 and served as secretary of finance for the regional capital's fifth district. == Chamber of Senators ==