With Bolivia politically adrift, a 52-year-old lawmaker, women's rights activist and former television presenter is trying to fill the leadership void and guide the country out of crisis.
Jeanine Añez was a second-tier opposition figure until the resignation Sunday of President Evo Morales after 14 years in power. In Bolivia's confused political landscape, it is uncertain to what extent Bolivians will rally around her, or accuse her of being an opportunist intent on seizing power.
In a dramatic scene on Monday, Añez wept as she told journalists that she wanted to "give certainty" to Bolivians in the midst of a power vacuum.
"I just want to provide a solution to the horrible crisis that we're living through," Añez said.
Morales' exit, along with the resignations of the Senate president and other senior leaders, opened the way for Añez to step into the void left by their departures.
As the Senate's second vice president, Añez is moving to take temporary control of the Senate, which could elevate her to the post of national president. Under this plan, she would act as interim president of the Andean nation as it prepares to select a new leader in new elections.
Bolivia's crisis erupted after the last elections, held on Oct. 20, were marred by allegations that Morales had fixed the results in his favor. Protests swept the country, leading to police defections and the military's call for Bolivia's first indigenous president to resign.
Añez needs the support of her fellow lawmakers to become Senate president, and there are no guarantees of that in a congress dominated by Morales loyalists.
If Añez is confirmed as Senate leader, she would become the second Bolivian woman to become interim president of the nation. Lidia Gueiler held that role between 1979 and 1980.
Añez was a lawyer before getting into politics and has campaigned against gender violence. She also worked as a TV presenter and director of the Totalvisión station in the city of Trinidad, which is in the Amazonian province of Beni.
She belongs to the opposition Democratic Unity party, which is led by Rubén Costas, governor of Santa Cruz province, an opposition stronghold.
In 2006, Añez was elected to an assembly that Morales called to reform the Bolivian Constitution after his ascent to power.
Añez's efforts to guide her country toward stability appear perilous, but at least some Bolivians are happy to see her in a prominent role.
Fernando Llapiz, who is from the Beni region, was among those hoping Añez will succeed.
"She is not alone," he said.