The blockaders themselves are driving up prices, not the policies
Road blockades by peasant federations and labor unions have paralyzed Bolivia since last week, with 67 blocked zones affecting supply chains and forcing emergency airlifts. Paz claims economic recovery with $4.5B in Q1 exports versus $2B under predecessor Arce, but protesters demand 20% wage increases and guarantees against state enterprise privatization.
- 67 road blockades across Bolivia, 50 in La Paz, since last week
- $4.5 billion in Q1 exports under Paz vs. $2 billion under Arce
- COB demanding 20% wage increase and state enterprise protection
- Emergency airlift supplying La Paz with basic goods including chicken
- Peasant federation and labor unions allied with Morales supporters
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz called for dialogue with protest leaders blocking roads and demanding his resignation over new economic policies, claiming the economy is recovering while opponents blame his reforms for price increases.
Bolivia's president, Rodrigo Paz, took to social media on Tuesday to appeal for dialogue with the groups that have spent the past week blocking roads and staging street protests across the country. The blockades and demonstrations are directed at his government's new economic policies, with some protesters openly demanding his resignation. Paz framed his call as an invitation to begin a period of "reconciliation," asking the leaders of these movements to sit down and work together to build dialogue and certainty about the nation's future.
The economic picture Paz presented was one of recovery. He pointed to first-quarter export figures—more than $4.5 billion—as evidence that Bolivia's economy is rebounding after years of currency shortages and inflation. That number stands in sharp contrast to the $2 billion in exports during the same quarter under his predecessor, Luis Arce, who governed from 2020 to 2025. Paz also blamed the blockaders themselves for driving up prices in markets, suggesting that their actions, not his policies, were harming ordinary Bolivians.
The blockades have become severe enough that the government has had to launch an emergency airlift operation to ensure basic supplies—including chicken meat—reach La Paz, the seat of both the executive and legislative branches. Police reported on Tuesday that 67 zones across the country are now blocked, with 50 of those concentrated in La Paz itself. Additional road cuts have appeared in the eastern department of Santa Cruz. The peasant federation of the Andean highlands has maintained these blockades since the previous Wednesday, explicitly demanding Paz's resignation.
The coalition opposing Paz is broad and historically significant. The Central Bolivian Workers' Union, known as the COB, has been leading street protests in La Paz since last week, demanding a 20 percent wage increase and ironclad guarantees that state enterprises will not be privatized. The COB's top leader, Mario Argollo, has allied with the peasant unions calling for Paz to step down. Both organizations were once pillars of support for the leftist governments of Evo Morales, who ruled from 2006 to 2019, and Luis Arce. Teachers' unions have also taken to the streets, primarily seeking salary increases. Adding another layer to the pressure, a group of Morales supporters has begun a march from the highlands toward La Paz to join the COB's protests and oppose the government's announced reforms.
Paz's government is preparing to push forward with an ambitious legislative agenda. A meeting held on Saturday in Cochabamba brought together local officials, business representatives, and social sector leaders to draft a platform centered on passing roughly a dozen new laws. These include proposed legislation on hydrocarbons, energy, and mining. Paz insisted that these laws would be debated transparently and that rumors of privatization or sudden increases in basic service costs were false. He also suggested that some leaders with "political interests" are deliberately trying to confuse the public, though he did not name them directly. His strategy appears to be to continue pushing dialogue with both parliamentary political forces and social sectors, framing his reforms as ultimately benefiting the people, even as the blockades tighten around the capital.
Citações Notáveis
Dialogue, reconciliation, and certainty about the future is what we must build together— President Rodrigo Paz, in a social media address
The blockaders are the ones causing prices to rise in the markets— President Paz, attributing inflation to protest actions rather than government policy
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Paz choose to call for dialogue now, when the blockades are already in place and some are demanding his resignation?
He's trying to reframe the narrative. By positioning himself as the reasonable voice calling for conversation, he shifts focus away from the blockades themselves and toward the idea that both sides need to talk. It's a classic move when you're under pressure—appeal to unity.
But the numbers he's citing about exports—$4.5 billion versus $2 billion—those seem designed to prove something specific.
Exactly. He's arguing that his economic model is working, that recovery is real and measurable. If that's true, then the protesters are blocking roads over policies that are actually helping. If it's not true, or if the recovery isn't reaching ordinary people, then the numbers become a point of contention.
The COB and peasant unions were allies of Morales and Arce. What changed?
Paz represents a different political direction. Whether his reforms are genuinely threatening to workers and farmers, or whether they're being portrayed that way, the old coalition sees him as a threat to their interests. The 20 percent wage demand and the privatization fears—those aren't abstract. They're about survival.
The airlift operation—that's significant, isn't it?
It shows how serious the blockades have become. You don't launch emergency supply runs unless the situation is genuinely critical. It also underscores the human cost: people in the capital can't get basic goods because roads are cut off.
Do you think dialogue will actually happen?
Paz is calling for it, but the protesters are asking him to resign. Those are incompatible starting points. Dialogue requires both sides to believe negotiation is possible. Right now, one side wants him gone.