Bolivia: Protests Take Country to Breaking Point

Latin America Correspondent Jon Bonfiglio on the latest from the widespread protests which have crippled La Paz and represent an existential threat for the government of Rodrigo Paz, 

Transcript

Hi everyone. Welcome back, specifically for an update on the ongoing situation in Bolivia, which can pretty definitely be called a crisis. The country’s president, Rodrigo Paz, has said that the country is at breaking point, and has offered to cut his salary - and that of his ministers - in half, in an attempt to convey a “we’re all in this together” mood, and said that it was a demonstration of his “commitment to the country.”. But on the other side of the equation, he is also in favour of a new law passed by Congress which will make it easier for the president to declare a state of emergency and deploy soldiers to quell protests. Paz had said that he favoured dialogue over "armed confrontation" but he is coming under increasing pressure to end the protests. Paz is also outsourcing the political blame to former president Evo Morales, saying that he is the instigator of the demonstrations, which have led to shortages across the country. The new law repeals a 2020 law which was designed to control the military’s power in stopping protests, so the army now has wider powers to step in, should the president choose. The sense - and the worry - is that a punitive security crackdown may not be far away. 

“If they do not want dialogue ... then there is no other way,” he said in a national address last week. insisting at the same time that he preferred to negotiate. 

The discontent is widespread, rooted in a number of actions taken by Paz since his inauguration, specifically deals made with right-wing parties, refusing to name any members of indigenous majority to high-level posts,  supporting a land reform bill in favour of agribusiness, removing fuel subsidies, which saw prices rise, then importing cheaper fuel which was believed to have damaged vehicles. The protests have at the same time been a long time coming, and are particularly worrisome for the government because these kinds of ongoing demonstrations - which impact a stranglehold on the country - have brought down administrations before. In fact, it’s been a successful strategy now for hundreds of years in and around the capital of Bolivia, La Paz. Most marked were the protests of 2003-2005 where another similar situation relating to foreign appropriation of Bolivia’s gas reserves brought down two governments and was a key factor in the rise to power of Evo Morales. 

There is little doubt that pressure on the president is extremely high, and calls are growing for him to declare a state of emergency which would give the military emergency powers for 60 days.  

The United States, unsurprisingly, has taken a position, describing protests as an attempted coup. “We will not allow criminals and drug traffickers to overthrow democratically elected leaders in our hemisphere,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Our hemisphere.” 

There you have it. Thanks for listening everyone.