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Paraguayan minister says protests in Bolivia are a problem that concerns the region
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Elections & Politics

Paraguayan minister says protests in Bolivia are a problem that concerns the region

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Paraguay's Interior Minister Enrique Riera stated that protests in Bolivia demanding President Rodrigo Paz's resignation are a regional issue.
  • Riera affirmed that Mercosur ministers unanimously expressed solidarity with Bolivia, supporting its right to democracy.
  • He criticized the protests for aiming to change the government, arguing it is too soon after Paz's election and that the demands have become political.

Paraguayan Interior Minister Enrique Riera declared that the ongoing protests in Bolivia, which are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, constitute a "regional problem" that concerns all of South America. Riera's remarks came at the conclusion of the Mercosur Interior and Security Ministers' meeting in Asunción.

"The situation in Bolivia is a regional situation. The problems of the Bolivians are our problem," Riera stated during a press conference. He confirmed that the interior ministers and police chiefs from the region had "unanimously" expressed their "support and solidarity" with Bolivia, emphasizing that "Our Bolivian brothers have the right to live in democracy and Paraguay will support them."

The situation in Bolivia is a regional situation. The problems of the Bolivians are our problem.

— Enrique RieraParaguay's Interior Minister defines the scope of the Bolivian protests.

While acknowledging the legitimacy of social demands within a democratic framework, Riera criticized the escalation of protests to calls for a government change. He pointed out that President Paz has only been in office for about six months and won an election that he claims "no one questioned." Riera asserted that the movement has moved beyond social protest to become "clearly political" and that demanding a new presidential election "makes no sense."

Our Bolivian brothers have the right to live in democracy and Paraguay will support them.

— Enrique RieraRiera expresses solidarity with the Bolivian people during a Mercosur meeting.

The Mercosur meeting was attended by ministers from Uruguay, Ecuador, and Brazil, along with other regional authorities. Bolivia is in the process of full accession to the Mercosur bloc. The meeting also coincided with a Mercosur Justice Ministers' meeting, though the Bolivian Government Minister did not attend, only the commander of the Bolivian Police.

Paraguay, Peru, and Chile have sent humanitarian aid to Bolivia, while Argentina provided military aircraft to transport food to La Paz, which has been affected by road blockades. The protests, driven by peasant unions and sectors aligned with former President Evo Morales, have been ongoing for three weeks, including road blockades.

It is no longer just a protest or a social mobilization, but with clear political aims.

— Enrique RieraRiera characterizes the nature of the ongoing protests in Bolivia.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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