Anti-government protests have swept across Bolivia
In Bolivia, mass protests and two weeks of road blockades have triggered a severe political crisis surrounding President Rodrigo Pasa less than six months after he took office.
This is reported by the Associated Press.
Large-scale traffic restrictions organized by labor unions, miners, and peasant associations have led to food shortages in La Paz and a critical shortage of oxygen in hospitals, resulting in the deaths of at least three people because ambulances were unable to reach medical facilities. On Monday, clashes broke out in the capital between supporters of former President Evo Morales and the police, after which they joined the general protests demanding the immediate resignation of the current head of state.
The protest movement began with demands for higher wages, expanded access to mining areas for miners, and a stable fuel supply, while public school teachers also put forward their own specific demands. Amid the spread of blockades across the country, President Rodrigo Paz stated that anyone seeking to destroy democracy would end up in prison. Presidential spokesperson José Luis Galvez noted that the government has already addressed some of the demands, but there are dark forces seeking to destabilize democracy, hinting at Evo Morales’s direct role in these events. According to media reports, the total economic losses from the protesters’ actions exceed $50 million daily, and approximately 5,000 vehicles remain blocked on the country’s roads.
Evo Morales himself, who is currently in hiding to avoid arrest in connection with a criminal case involving sexual assault, completely denies the authorities’ accusations and calls them politically motivated. The former leader of the republic has publicly stated that the popular uprising will not be suppressed until the country’s leadership resolves the pressing problems of high inflation and acute shortages of fuel and food.
As a reminder, in 2019, amid mass protests, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced his resignation. Vice President Álvaro García Linera, the heads of both chambers of the country’s parliament, as well as several ministers, their deputies, governors, and mayors also stepped down from their posts.
On Monday, the Bolivian prosecutor’s office announced the issuance of an arrest warrant for former President Evo Morales in connection with an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old minor.
