LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz faces a deepening crisis as widespread protests and blockades leave the political capital under siege less than six month after he took office.Two weeks of road closures — spearheaded by the Bolivian Workers’ Central, COB, peasant unions and miners — have emptied markets in La Paz and depleted vital hospital oxygen reserves. The government reported that at least three people died after emergency vehicles were blocked from reaching medical centers.On Monday, supporters of Bolivia’s influential ex-President Evo Morales clashed with police in the capital city as they joined multiple sectors demanding the resignation of the president, who lacks both a legislative majority and a robust political party to anchor his administration.The unrest presents the biggest challenge yet for Paz, a business-friendly centrist who came to power six months ago as a wave of conservative electoral wins swept the region. “Those seeking to destroy democracy will go to jail,” Paz warned on Friday, even as the blockades expanded to engulf nearly the entire country.
What workers demandThe COB began by demanding wage increases, while peasant unions demanded a steady supply of gasoline. The miners, meanwhile, are negotiating separately for access to additional mining areas. Public schoolteachers are also holding separate talks regarding salary improvements.“These demands have been largely addressed in a manner consistent with current realities; however, there are dark forces seeking to destabilize our democracy,” said presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez, in an allusion to influential former President Evo Morales.Paz reiterates that he inherited a “bankrupt state,” yet his adversaries reproach him for his sluggish response to the worst crisis in 40 years — marked by fuel shortages and an inflation rate that hovered near 20% last year.According to business organizations, ongoing protests and road blockades are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia’s economy and have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on the highways.
