Víctor Hugo Cárdenas

Víctor Hugo Cárdenas Conde (né Choquehuanca; born 4 June 1951) is a Bolivian indigenous rights activist and politician who served as the 35th vice president of Bolivia from 1993 to 1997. He is the first Aymara vice president, and the second-highest-ranking indigenous official in Bolivian history, after Evo Morales.

Born in Achica Bajo, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, Cárdenas was the son of a rural school teacher. When he was still a child, his father changed his name from Choquehuanca to Cárdenas, in order to mask his indigenous origin and remove what at the time was an obstacle to his educational and professional advancement. His wife has never renounced the typical dress of the chola, an urbanized woman who retains her indigenous identity.

Cárdenas holds a PhD in linguistics and is a university professor.

Cárdenas was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2009 Bolivian presidential election, losing to Evo Morales. He claimed that his ticket was seeking a national consensus rather than division. He was appointed Minister of Education in the government of President Jeanine Añez, overseeing school interruptions and the implementation of virtual education during the coronavirus pandemic. He was dismissed on 19 October after being censured by the Legislative Assembly.