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Protesters clash with police in third day of union protests in Bolivia
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Protesters clash with police in third day of union protests in Bolivia

From ABC Color · (1h ago) Spanish Critical tone

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Bolivian police clashed with striking teachers protesting against President Rodrigo Paz's government.
  • Teachers demanded a 20% salary increase, no privatization of state companies, and the repeal of a land law.
  • The government accused some protests of being destabilizing attempts and invited sectors to a national dialogue.

La Paz, Bolivia – The streets surrounding Plaza Murillo, the heart of Bolivia's government, became a battleground today as hundreds of teachers, affiliated with the Confederation of Urban Education Workers of Bolivia (CTEUB), clashed with police. This marks the third consecutive day of social unrest, with various groups protesting against President Rodrigo Paz's administration.

The teachers, alongside the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB), are demanding a 20% salary increase for the current year and assurances against the privatization of state-owned companies. They also seek the repeal of a land law, a demand echoed by indigenous and peasant groups from the Amazon who have been present in La Paz since Monday.

"We will remain united and firm until we achieve our objectives, and if the president wants frank and sincere dialogue, he must come down (to negotiate) himself, not send his spokespeople who have no decision-making power," stated Wilfredo Ajllahuanca, a prominent teachers' leader. The educators are also calling for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Beatriz García, fearing she will push through reforms detrimental to free, state-funded education.

We will remain united and firm until we achieve our objectives and if the president wants a frank and sincere dialogue, he must come down (to negotiate) himself, not send his spokespeople who have no decision-making power.

— Wilfredo AjllahuancaA teachers' leader explaining their stance on negotiations with the government.

Adding to the pressure, factory workers occupied the Ministry of Labor, demanding the resignation of its head, Edgar Morales, whom they accuse of failing to address their salary grievances. While the workers described their action as a "symbolic takeover," police eventually regained control and made an unspecified number of arrests.

Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo suggested that some of the mobilizations harbor "destabilizing attempts" by certain "leaderships" seeking to regain political influence. He reiterated President Paz's invitation to a national dialogue in Cochabamba this Saturday. Meanwhile, the Unified Federation of Peasants of La Paz Túpac Katari announced blockades on Andean highways, disrupting traffic towards Peru. Amidst this turmoil, President Paz managed to secure an agreement with the Bolivian Drivers' Confederation, suspending their protest threats after a 24-hour strike.

there is a destabilizing attempt in some of the mobilizations, through which some "leaderships" that we do not identify "are trying to regain political space".

— Fernando AramayoThe Bolivian Foreign Minister commenting on the nature of the protests.
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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