Overview
- The Central Obrera Boliviana launched an open-ended national strike with marches and roadblocks disrupting transport in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and other regions.
- Vice President Edmand Lara publicly declared himself an opponent of President Rodrigo Paz and urged protesters to hold firm, accusing the government of favoring the wealthy.
- Lara also proposed halving public officials’ salaries, including the president’s and ministers’, as a response to the economic crisis.
- Decree 5503 ended a subsidy of more than two decades, lifting gasoline prices about 86% and diesel about 162%, alongside increases to the minimum wage and social bonuses.
- The government refuses to repeal the measure, citing improved fuel supply, a reported 30% drop in smuggling and roughly $10 million a day in savings, while some sectors such as transporters and cooperative miners have paused protests after separate deals.