Mass Protests Plunge Bolivia Into Political Upheaval

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at anti-government protests in Bolivia , Iran threatening to expand the war beyond the Persian Gulf , and Russia ’s failure to clinch big gas deals with China . Bolivia’s political capital may be named for peace, but for the past two weeks, sweeping anti-government protests have paralyzed the city of La Paz, plunging Bolivia into one of its worst political crises in decades. Upon taking office just six months ago, center-right President Rodrigo Pa

Among his signature austerity measures, Paz ended a 20-year fuel subsidy program, arguing that a free market would bring higher-quality crude to Bolivia. Instead, though, shortages continued. Even worse, it was discovered that millions of liters of imported fuel had been adulterated , producing “ junk gasoline ” that transport operators said damaged their vehicles. Since then, protesters—led by some of the country’s most powerful unions—have called for Paz’s resignation while demanding higher wages and a steadier fuel supply. The result has been catastrophic for Paz’s government , which holds a minority in parliament, as it has reinvigorated calls for former President Evo Morales to return to office. “As long as structural demands—such as those concerning fuel, food and inflation—remain unaddressed, the uprising will not be quelled,” Morales wrote on X. The former president is believed to be hiding in Bolivia’s Chapare province to evade an arrest warrant for refusing to appear in court to face charges related to his alleged sexual abuse of a minor. Morales denies all charges and says they are politically motivated. During a special session of the Organization of American States on Wednesday, Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo accused demonstrators of “creating conditions for institutional destabilization, weakening the government … and disrupting the democratic order.” This came one day after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called the protests an “ongoing coup d’état.” But not all regional leaders hope that Paz regains control. On Wednesday, the Bolivian president ordered the immediate expulsion of Elizabeth García, Colombia’s ambassador in La Paz. The order was in response to left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro reposting a video on Sunday claiming that Paz was a “puppet of the USA and the Bolivian oligarchs.” One of Paz’s first actions upon taking office was to restore relations with the Trump administration.

Key points

• Among his signature austerity measures, Paz ended a 20-year fuel subsidy program, arguing that a free market would bring higher-quality crude to Bolivia.
• Instead, though, shortages continued.
• Even worse, it was discovered that millions of liters of imported fuel had been adulterated , producing “ junk gasoline ” that transport operators said damaged their vehicles.
• Since then, protesters—led by some of the country’s most powerful unions—have called for Paz’s resignation while demanding higher wages and a steadier fuel supply.
• The result has been catastrophic for Paz’s government , which holds a minority in parliament, as it has reinvigorated calls for former President Evo Morales to return to office.