[1] On his mother's side, Maldonado is the grandson of Humberto Iporre Salinas, a prominent and prolific twentieth-century composer whose hymn "Potosino Soy" remains a popular fixture of the department's cultural heritage.

Introduced as part of a package of new independent oversight bodies intended to guarantee the rule of law, the institution – headed in its early years by Ana María Romero – was tasked with protecting human and individual rights in the country.

[10] Despite their lack of party affiliation, the MAS sought in figures like Maldonado and his former superior Romero to utilize the high level of public prestige associated with the Ombudsman's Office to build bridges with the urban middle class, long weary of the Evo Morales administration.

In a region with a history of political violence, he nearly lost his life while on a campaign stop in the Tinguipaya Municipality after a mob of campesinos allegedly supportive of a rival candidate attacked his group.

[20] The department – long one of the poorest in Bolivia – had entered a nineteen-day strike based on eleven grievances they wished addressed, among them increased industrialization, more public works, and the final settlement of Potosí's territorial disputes with Chile and Oruro [es].

[21] Although the administration eventually sealed a deal to end the protests,[22] Maldonado and other legislators' participation remained a sore point among the MAS; Morales labeled them "traitors,"[23] party leaders in parliament announced their intent to seek a recall election against them,[24] and yet others demanded their resignations.

[26] The removal of a senator mid-term from their commission assignment was unprecedented in Bolivian democratic history and came in response to Maldonado's decision to review sections of the legislation to address freedom of the press concerns presented by media outlets, bucking the orders of Morales, who had requested the law be approved without modifications.

The decision responded to a controversial ruling issued the previous year, which barred nearly all outgoing parliamentarians from running for local office under the argument that their primary residences had been the seat of government in La Paz and not their respective regions.

[37] In the months following his disqualification, Maldonado denounced his ordeal as politically motivated, accusing the MAS of having acted as "a blue hand dictating the unethical actions of the ... Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

"[41] In the ensuing years, Maldonado refocused his attention on personal projects, such as efforts to convert portions of his family's estate into a museum dedicated to Humberto Iporre, which opened in late 2015.

[45] He won the race, owing to a significant drop in regional electoral support for the MAS that cycle, which prevented it from entirely sweeping Potosí's parliamentary delegation as it had done in previous elections.

[53] This strategy, however, largely relied on the personal popularity of those running,[52] and in a crowded field of candidates – including longtime former mayor René Joaquino and civic leader Jhonny Llally – Maldonado failed to stand out, finishing in a distant fifth place.