Development: On 6 April President Evo Morales swore in María Cecilia Chacón to replace Rubén Saavedra Soto as Bolivia's defence minister. Soto was reassigned to head up the newly created Dirección Nacional de Reivindicación Marítima (DNRM), a committee set up to put together Bolivia's legal case against Chile in its claim for sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.

Significance: Chacón is Bolivia's first female defence minister and her appointment has been hailed as a major step forward for gender equity, even though there have been plenty of female defence ministers in the region. Though Morales pledged a commitment to gender parity, announcing a "fifty-fifty" cabinet upon taking office for the second time in January 2010, he was criticised for failing to assign any of the significant portfolios (defence, interior, foreign affairs or economy) to women.

Key points:

• Chacón is a lawyer, who has held various posts in the government (notably in the foreign affairs and water ministries). She was hailed as an "intelligent choice" by a range of actors including Marcelo Antezana, a former head of the military and current senator for the opposition Plan Progreso para Bolivia-Convergencia Nacional (PPB-CN).

• Chacón said her main challenge is the modernization of the armed forces. The 2009 constitution broadened the role of the military. The key change allows it to assist in police roles, such as combating drug-trafficking and smuggling.