Explosions have been heard as mining groups protest against the government in Bolivia Objections

Protesters are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, who was elected on a platform of economic reform.

Protesters, led by mining groups and rural unions, have clashed with police in Bolivia as tensions escalate over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

On Thursday, small explosions were heard amid protests in La Paz, where miners are known to remove sticks of dynamite. Some protesters say they want to destroy the president’s house.

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The protests follow weeks of road closures, with miners, farmers, teachers and rural workers expressing frustration over the country’s economic woes.

Bolivia used to be a major exporter of natural gas, but in recent years, its natural gas reserves have dried up, and its output has fallen dramatically. Now, instead of exporting oil, it has become an exporter, dependent on imported oil and gas.

The collapse of the gas industry has been accompanied by a decline in foreign exchange in the country. The result has been inflation, scarcity and rising prices.

Bolivians have faced long lines at oil refineries, and hospitals have reported shortages of essential supplies such as air and medicine.

Center-right leader Rodrigo Paz was elected in October last year in part by pledging to tackle the economic crisis.

His victory signaled a political revolution in Bolivia. For the past two decades, except for a brief period in 2019, the country has been ruled by the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS).

The decline in MAS has been attributed, in part, to economic turmoil.

But on Thursday, Paz also faced calls from protesters to resign, as did his MAS predecessor, Luis Arce.

Earlier in the day, a group of 20 miners were invited to the presidential palace to meet with Paz and discuss their demands, according to Reuters.

Before the meeting, Finance Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza said his government is “ready to negotiate”.

Among the items reportedly discussed were fuel subsidies, welfare benefits and changes to the agricultural reform measure, Law 1720, which was repealed on Wednesday after an outcry.

However, the authorities rejected Paz’s request to resign. “The president will not resign,” said Mauricio Zamora, the minister of public works, jobs and housing, earlier this month.

Some of Paz’s allies say this was done by former President Evo Morales, a former trade union leader who continues to find support in rural Bolivia.

Morales, who led Bolivia from 2006 to 2019, supported the protests against his predecessor Paz Arce, after breaking away from MAS.

He is also the head of arrest warrant: Morales is charged with statutory rape and was held in contempt of court for not appearing in court last week.

An avid social media user, Morales tweeted several times on Thursday about the protests, accusing the government of using him as a scapegoat. He also said that the authorities should deal with the shortage of food, fuel and other essential items.

“They believe that the thousands of Bolivians who are protesting here – in the streets and in the streets – are only listening to one person,” Morales wrote in one. post.

“The angry are driven by their conscience and their anger against a government that, from day one, betrayed its communities and its country.”