Bolivia's capital under siege as protests deepen crisis for President Paz

Road closures led by the Bolivian Workers' Central, peasant unions, and miners have emptied markets in La Paz and depleted hospital oxygen reserves. Emergency vehicles have been blocked from reaching medical centers, and at least three deaths were reported. Supporters of influential ex-President Evo Morales clashed with police as multiple sectors demanded the president’s resignation. The president lacks a legislative majority and a strong political party. Workers demanded wage increases, peasant unions demanded steady gasoline supply, and miners negotiated for access to additional mining areas. Public schoolteachers sought salary improvements. The government warned about forces seeking to destabilize democracy while opponents criticized a slow response to a severe crisis marked by fuel shortages and inflation near 20% last year.

""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 Jose Luis Galvez, 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."

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