Bolivian government awaits union response to dialogue call amid road blockades

La Paz, Bolivia – The Bolivian government is waiting for a response from the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB) to its invitation for a dialogue on Wednesday concerning the crisis caused by over seven weeks of road blockades. Sectors demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz are spearheading the protests.

The Executive branch summoned union leaders to the Government Palace in La Paz at 9:00 AM local time (13:00 GMT) to discuss a proposal for national "pacification." However, the COB had not appeared or confirmed its attendance by the time of reporting.

The government's proposal includes demands across eight areas, such as human rights, organizational guarantees, and pacification. It aims to ensure the "right to protest" without sanctions against demonstrators and calls for the fulfillment of the government's electoral promises. "The important thing is that we give a signal to the country, we have to find a way forward, blocking is not the way we will solve our differences," stated Deputy Minister of Autonomies, Adrián Oliva, on Wednesday before the meeting.

The COB and the La Paz Peasants' Federation initiated the road blockades on May 6, demanding Paz's resignation. These protests later gained support from sectors aligned with former Bolivian President Evo Morales (2006-2019). The country's largest union entity indicated on Tuesday its willingness to meet with the Executive, stating that its mobilization had become "politicized" due to its association with Morales, whom the government accused of financing the protests with "drug trafficking" money.

Meanwhile, the La Paz peasants also sent a letter to Paz on Tuesday, conditioning dialogue on the fulfillment of five points. These include a "presidential amnesty and restoration of guarantees" for legal proceedings against some protesters and the annulment or modification of recently approved decrees and laws. A meeting with this sector, however, is still pending.

The conflict has led to shortages of food, fuel, and medical oxygen in some cities. It has also resulted in at least 16 deaths, 13 of them due to a lack of timely medical attention caused by the blockades, and economic losses estimated at $2.76 billion.

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The important thing is that we give a signal to the country, we have to find a way forward, blocking is not the way we will solve our differences.