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Santa Cruz, Bolivia – A growing political conflict threatens the stability of Bolivia.
Six months after a new administration took office, President Rodrigo Paz is facing mass protests, highway closures and growing pressure to step down.
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The chaos it started a little over a month ago with the confluence of several demands from the sectors. Some unions were demanding higher wages, others complained about the contaminated fuel that damaged thousands of vehicles, while additional groups opposed the law allowing changes in land divisions, which, its opponents said, favored the rise of land among big business owners.
Although the government managed to resolve some of the conflicts by agreeing to some demands, such as abolishing the land law and giving cash bonuses to teachers, as well as speeding up compensation for some damaged vehicles, the groups of people in the mountain areas decided to push the protests to the limit by blocking the roads in order to force the president to resign.
On May 6, hundreds of protesters began setting up barricades around the city of La Paz, the seat of government, and maintaining 20 pickets at a time each day. They have also gained support from other organizations that have been pushing for government elections, including the Bolivian Workers’ Union.
“What we want is for the president to resign for failing to solve the problems the country is facing, and he is leading us into problems… he is saving the country. Mario Argollo, the leader of the Central Obrera Boliviana, told the press.
The Andean cities of La Paz and El Alto, two of the country’s most populous and neighboring cities, are facing hunger, school suspensions and traffic disruptions as hundreds of protesters block the streets.
Although many people who have been affected by the protests have called for strong action against the people who are protesting to restore order, the government has so far refrained from declaring a state of emergency.
Although the groups of people participating in the protests have different reasons, many experts believe that there is a main problem behind the unrest: the growing disharmony between the grassroots and working class groups.
‘Political and strategic shift’
Rodrigo Paz was a senior senator who, despite his long political career, was not nationally known and was able to present himself as “new”. He became Bolivia’s first president after the Movement for Socialism (MAS), which ruled the country for nearly 20 years with sweeping electoral and congressional victories. Due to mismanagement, corruption and corruption, MAS left the country facing financial problems and received only 3 percent of the vote in the 2025 elections.
During the election, Rodrigo Paz adopted a conservative and conservative narrative and stayed in office mainly because of former MAS voters.
Now, after six months as president, the voters are not disappointed, and they feel that they are not being removed from the government, since Rodrigo Paz did not elect people of his own country or people who work in the cabinet or high positions in the government.
These groups, which have ruled together with MAS for the past two decades now feel that the leadership is aligned with the business elite and steered in their favor.
Some of the policies that increased the conflict included Paz removing the tax on capital gains, appointing members of business leaders to his cabinet, approving laws favoring agribusiness – such as the use of genetically modified crops – and aligning himself with the United States and Israel, countries with which Bolivia had no diplomatic relations. He also went from rejecting international loans during the campaign to seeking funding from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund.
“Rodrigo Paz won with a very different policy, and in the process, he changed the politics and policy, both in the creation of the administration and in the process. Therefore, the popular groups see not only the removal, but also a real disloyalty,” political analyst Luciana Jauregui told Al Jazeera. It was the support of workers and rural people that allowed Paz to win the elections with 55 percent of the vote, he said.
Amidst the protests, former President Evo Morales, who ruled from 2006 to 2019, stepped up pressure by encouraging his supporters to march 190 kilometers (118-miles) to La Paz to demand the president’s resignation and a halt to charges against the former leader. Morales faces an arrest warrant and is accused of abusing a young woman during his presidency.
Morales was the country’s first president, ruled Bolivia three times in a row, and received unprecedented support. He ruled without any opposition, and his administration was characterized by policies of social inclusion, local recognition, and economic development, led by increased gas production and poverty reduction.
However, in recent years, the country has experienced a gradual economic crisis characterized by the decline of the oil and gas industry, partly due to mismanagement, a lack of US dollars as exports fell, and high inflation.
This economic collapse caused the MAS to lose power amid tensions between Morales and his successor, former president Luis Arce, who fought for the party’s independence.
Despite the power he held, Morales’ departure from government was chaotic: He resigned in 2019 amid protests after he sought to run against them.
Rodrigo Paz’s administration has accused the former president of orchestrating a “macabre plan” aimed at destabilizing the government and regaining power. Officials have also said the attacks stem from drug trafficking, although no evidence has been provided to support their claims.
“Our struggle is against the powers that receive money from the drug trade and use the tools of terrorism to seize power,” said presidential candidate Jose Luis Galvez at a press conference.
Morales, instead of directly responding to the accusations, criticized the government which he says “protects business owners, banks and industrial elites while ordinary people also stand in line, go into debt and endure hunger”.
“No amount of rhetoric will erase that reality,” he wrote on X.
An increase in violence
In recent days, violence has escalated in La Paz amid several marches around government offices where armed miners and explosives have clashed with police. Local media also reported on harassment of government agencies and assaults on civilians. According to official reports, more than 120 people were arrested during the riots on Monday, while 11 people were injured.
For the government, the conflict has two distinct parts: legitimate demands and attempts to overthrow the president.
“We will do it with two weapons: legitimate group discussions and all legal powers against those who attack democracy,” Minister of the Presidency Jose Luis Lupo said.
Without union representation, civil society organizations that once dominated alongside the MAS are now also seeking to participate in decision-making.
Magdalena Choque, a woman protesting in the streets of La Paz, said she remained “against the government” because the government “doesn’t listen to the people”.
“They don’t consult us. Everything is set by law, and nothing benefits our country. We are being elected (against), there is division here,” he said in a video recorded on the streets of La Paz and shared online.
The abolition of capital gains tax and the abolition of fuel subsidies, for example, were approved by law.
Jauregui said: “The government of Rodrigo Paz had an unforgettable opportunity to establish a new people’s union.”
Although it is difficult to predict where the unrest will take, the government appears to be willing to relinquish some power.
“The idea is to establish a ministry that includes the participation of development agencies; this could be the way,” Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora, Paz’s ally, said in a radio interview.
While the authorities are looking for a way out of the conflicts that have occurred in the country, the government has ordered the police to intervene from time to time to establish a “humanitarian route” for food and medicine to reach La Paz, which, as the capital of the country, is sometimes the starting point of political conflicts in Bolivia.
