Bolivia’s Defence Minister has resigned amid widening unrest over government austerity measures, which have led to protesters blocking roads into the country’s two largest cities.
Marcelo Salinas stepped down on Tuesday (2 June) two officials said, following a month of demonstrations against reforms introduced by centrist President Rodrigo Paz.
Salinas is the most senior government figure to resign so far as a result of the protests, which have led to roads being blocked for a fortnight and triggered food and medical shortages across the country.
Education Minister Beatriz Garcia also resigned on Tuesday evening, local media reported.
Eliser Roca, mayor of El Alto, Bolivia’s second largest city, has said it was losing around $6.5 million a day due to blockades. He urged protesters to talk with the government, and noted that small business owners were suffering.
"Many families live day to day ... they also have the right to eat," he said.
President Paz last week took steps towards declaring a state of emergency that could lead to troops being sent into the streets in an attempt to restore order.
Protesters, including labor unions, teachers and indigenous and rural groups loyal to former leftist President Evo Morales, are demanding Paz resign. Demonstrators also want the government to roll back austerity measures and address rising living costs.
Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Jose Luis Lupo in an interview with Reuters last week ruled out any possibility of Paz resigning and said calls for the President to step down were "anti-democratic."
Paz was elected on the promise to open the country of 12.7 million up to foreign private investments in mining, hydrocarbons and lithium after nearly two decades of leftist rule, mostly under Morales.
He took office as Bolivia contended with its worst economic crisis in decades, acute shortages of fuel and dwindling foreign currency reserves.
But spending cuts and fuel subsidy reductions he introduced have proved unpopular with certain sections of the country.
He is currently preparing a reform package for Congress that includes gradually lifting fuel price controls and measures to boost domestic energy production and investment.
Earlier in May, President Paz announced he would reorganise his cabinet in the wake of the protests. Labour Minister Edgar Morales stepped down in the shakeup, alleging a lack of understanding with Paz.
Türkiye is set to receive Russian diesel under a U.S.-backed agreement, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Sunday, as Ankara pushes a...
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Tajikistan on Sunday for an official visit and a major regional summit, with security, trade and transport link...
The U.S. and five Central Asian nations have held high-level talks in Samarkand, focusing on trade, investment and regional security as Washington ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
What started out as planned protests against the cost of living, declining public services and education funding in France, quickly devolved into violent riots across the country on Saturday.
The day after waiving sanctions and tariffs related to Russian exports, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he has yet to announce a final decision on the matter as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials want more time to evaluate the situation.
A Saudi AH-6i helicopter crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia due to a technical malfunction, killing its two crew members, the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on Sunday.
An oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said late Sunday.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Tajikistan on Sunday for an official visit and a major regional summit, with security, trade and transport links high on the agenda as Beijing strengthens its ties with Central Asia.
The U.S. and five Central Asian nations have held high-level talks in Samarkand, focusing on trade, investment and regional security as Washington seeks to strengthen its presence in the strategically important region.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has cut monthly food assistance to 500,000 people in Gaza amid severe funding shortages, with around two-thirds of the population facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse.
Strong winds that fuelled a deadly grass fire are what killed four Canadian soldiers and sent 39 people to hospital at a military training area in Alberta, Canada, according to authorities. 19 people remain in critical condition. The winds caused the flames to spread rapidly.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment