Overview
- President Rodrigo Paz announced a 50 percent reduction in his salary and those of his ministers as a gesture to protesters to try to end nationwide road blockades.
- Road blockades by miners, transport workers, teachers and Indigenous groups have cut supplies to La Paz and El Alto, producing acute shortages of food, fuel, medicine and oxygen in hospitals.
- Earlier outreach measures, including firing an unpopular labor minister and promises of greater inclusion for unions and Indigenous groups, have not ended the unrest or lifted blockades.
- Paz warned he would not rule out declaring a state of emergency if the standoff continues, signaling the government may shift from concessions to security measures.
- The crisis stems from a deep economic shock tied to currency shortages after fuel subsidy reforms, has prompted calls for Paz’s resignation from figures such as Evo Morales, and has drawn regional diplomatic and humanitarian attention.