Latest news with #LuisArce
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Unfrozen Loans Give Arce Hope of Easing Crippling Bolivia Crisis
Bolivian President Luis Arce plans to use overseas loans green-lit by congress to tackle crippling fuel shortages and soaring consumer prices before he leaves office in November. 'We're going to make every effort to keep the economic growth rate positive, and we're going to keep inflation as low as possible,' the socialist leader said Wednesday, in an interview in La Paz.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Deadly clashes over Morales candidacy deepen Bolivia crisis in election run-up
Fatal clashes between police and supporters of former president Evo Morales have deepened Bolivia's political and economic crisis, heightening tensions in the Andean country just two months before the presidential election. Six people have been killed and more than 300 injured in weeks of unrest. The dead include four police officers, one of whom was reportedly killed by dynamite which had been strapped to his body. Demonstrators have blockaded roads across the country since 2 June in response to rulings by the constitutional and electoral courts that barred Morales, 65, from seeking a fourth term in the 17 August election. On Sunday the protesters announced a 'humanitarian pause' at the blockades, but some remained in place, prolonging a two-week-long disruption in delivering food, medicine, and fuel. In response to the protests he called, Morales has himself become the target of a new 'terrorism' investigation, announced by the government of current president Luis Arce, 61 – who served as finance minister under the former president and is now his main rival. Morales has been entrenched since October in the coca-growing region of Chapare, where hundreds of coca farmers are preventing police and military forces from executing an arrest warrant over allegations that Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl during his presidency in 2016. 'Democracy in our country is at risk,' said President Arce following the killing of the four police officers. Three officers were shot dead by protesters last Wednesday in the mining town of Llallagua, where a 17-year-old student also died, reportedly beaten to death by protesters who accused him of being a police informant. The fourth officer was in a village in the Cochabamba department when, according to the government, he was 'kidnapped by a mob' and killed with dynamite strapped to his chest. In the same village, a civilian was shot dead by what the government claims was gunfire from protesters. '[The officers] were Bolivians who gave their lives at a time when the country is under siege, facing the risk that elections might not be able to take place,' said Arce. The UN human rights office has called for an 'impartial and thorough' investigation into the deaths. Morales, who had defended 'mobilisation and blockades' as 'legitimate expressions of resistance,' later said he is an 'enemy of protests' and claimed that 'what happened in Llallagua was well staged' to incriminate his supporters. 'It's crazy for him to say that, because he is the 'father' of the blockades: he built his entire political career blocking roads,' said economic analyst Gonzalo Chávez Alvarez, a professor at the Universidad Católica Boliviana. Morales is barred from running by a constitutional court ruling that reaffirmed the constitution's two-term presidential limit and by the electoral court, which argued that his party is not officially registered. Bolivia's longest-serving leader governed from 2006 to 2019. After about a decade of prosperity driven by a natural gas boom, reserves had dwindled, and an economic crisis began. In 2019, he sought a fourth term; there was a blackout during the vote count, and when it resumed, it showed him as the winner. The country erupted in violent protests, and Morales fled to Mexico and later to Argentina. After his protégé Arce won the presidency in 2020, Morales returned, but the two soon fell out. Under Arce, the economy has deteriorated, and the country is now facing its worst economic crisis since the hyperinflation of 1985, with inflation and a shortage of US dollars and fuel. Deeply unpopular, the president reversed his decision to seek re-election and now backs his former interior minister, 36-year-old lawyer Eduardo del Castillo. Even within the left, he will face competition from the equally young senate president, 36-year-old Andrónico Rodríguez, once seen as Morales's natural heir due to his Indigenous roots and leadership in the coca growers' union, but now treated as a traitor by the former president. On the right, businessman Samuel Doria Medina, 66, and former president Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga, 65, are polling well, and will try to oust the Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas) party after nearly two decades in power. Meanwhile, police and military forces have so far failed to execute the arrest warrant against Morales over the allegation of statutory rape. Last week, all other presidential candidates except him met in the capital, La Paz. At the end of the meeting, the head of the electoral court, Óscar Hassenteufel, pledged that elections would go ahead 'without fail' on 17 August. 'Morales wants to enter the elections at all costs, and he won't succeed,' said economist Alvarez. 'So there's uncertainty over whether the elections will really happen because it's hard to say whether Morales will have enough strength to stop them.'
South China Morning Post
13-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Police officer blown up with dynamite as Bolivia's crisis deepens
A Bolivian policeman taken hostage by demonstrators was blown up with explosives, the government said Thursday, marking a dramatic escalation in the state's stand-off with backers of ex-president Evo Morales. Clashes between police and Morales' backers, who are demanding that he be given a shot to return to power, have left at least five dead, including four officers, according to officials. The protests, which began over a week ago, have also grown into a wider revolt against incumbent President Luis Arce, marked by calls for his resignation over his handling of a severe economic crisis. Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera told reporters that officer Christian Calle was 'kidnapped by a mob' and killed after protesters inserted dynamite into his body and detonated it. Soldiers deployed in clashes with supporters of former Bolivian president Evo Morales. Photo: AFP The grisly attack took place in Llallagua, a mining town in the country's southwest, where three officers deployed to clear a roadblock were shot dead on Wednesday.
France 24
12-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Fourth policeman killed in clashes with Morales backers in Bolivia
Supporters of Morales, who led the Andean country from 2006 to 2019, began blocking key roads on June 2 over electoral authorities' refusal to allow him to run for a fourth term in August 17 elections. The protests have since snowballed into a wider revolt over President Luis Arce's handling of a deep economic crisis, marked by severe shortages of hard currency and fuel. On Wednesday, three officers deployed to clear a roadblock in Llallagua, a mining town in the country's southwest, were shot dead in violent clashes with protesters, police said. On Thursday, Justice Minister Cesar Siles said a fourth officer, Cristan Calle Alcon, died. Deputy Interior Minister Jhonny Aguilera said Alcon had been "taken hostage by a horde" and was killed by "the use of dynamite" on his person -- apparently a device taped to his chest. Aguilera announced the military will be sent to Llallagua to "guarantee a state of calm and of peace." Several dozen people have been reported injured in clashes in the town since Tuesday. Other officers were also hurt Wednesday trying to clear roadblocks elsewhere in the country, including on the road connecting La Paz with Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. Bolivia's roads authority said there were 19 roadblocks left countrywide on Thursday. Morales, 65, has been barred by the Constitutional Court from seeking re-election but nevertheless attempted, in vain, to register as a candidate last month. The government accuses him of trying to sabotage the election by calling for blockades to sow chaos. The protesters' goal "is to encircle La Paz to force it into submission through hunger," President Arce said Wednesday as he announced a joint police and military operation against the blockades. On Monday, the attorney general said Morales was under investigation for "terrorism" for allegedly inciting the protests. Bolivia's first Indigenous president has been holed up in his central stronghold in the Cochabamba department since October to avoid arrest on charges of trafficking a minor. The charges relate to Morales's alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old with whom he is accused of fathering a child while in office. He denies the charges. Morales retains a large following in the South American country, particularly among Indigenous communities.
Eyewitness News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Bolivia policemen killed in clashes with Morales backers
LA PAZ - Clashes Wednesday between followers of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales and police clearing roadblocks left two officers dead and several wounded, the government said. Supporters of Morales, who led the Andean country from 2006 to 2019, began blocking key roads on 2 June over electoral authorities' refusal to allow him to run for a fourth term in 17 August elections. The protests have since snowballed into a wider revolt over President Luis Arce's handling of a deep economic crisis, marked by severe shortages of hard currency and fuel. On Wednesday, two officers were killed in Llallagua, a mining town in Bolivia's southwest, and several injured - one seriously, according to Minister of Government Roberto Rios. The policemen "were vilely murdered by gunshots," he wrote on Facebook. At least 15 civilians and two police officers were injured in a violent confrontation in the same town the previous day. More officers were injured Wednesday at other roadblocks on the road connecting La Paz with Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. Health Minister Maria Rene Castro said two police officers were injured in the locality of Parotani, one by "an explosive object." Protest leader David Veizaga, an ally of Morales, claimed the military and police were under orders to use their firearms. "Let the government of Luis Arce order the withdrawal of police and military units so as not to stain their hands with blood," he told Bolivian media. 'SUBMISSION THROUGH HUNGER' The national roads authority counted 21 roadblocks across the country Wednesday, down from 29 the day before. Morales, 65, has been barred by the Constitutional Court from seeking re-election but nevertheless attempted, in vain, to register as a candidate last month. The government accuses him of trying to sabotage the election by calling for blockades to sow chaos. The protesters' goal "is to encircle La Paz to force it into submission through hunger," President Arce said Wednesday as he announced a joint police and military operation to clear a major highway, with more to follow. On Monday, the attorney general said Morales was under investigation for "terrorism" for allegedly inciting the protests. Bolivia's first Indigenous president has been holed up in his central stronghold in the Cochabamba department since October to avoid arrest on charges of trafficking a minor. The charges relate to Morales's alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old with whom he is accused of fathering a child while in office. He denies the charges. Morales, Bolivia's first Indigenous president and one of Latin America's longest-serving leaders, resigned under a cloud in 2019 after seeking to extend his 13-year grip on power. Since then, the Constitutional Court has upheld Bolivia's two-term limit, which Morales previously managed to evade. He retains a large following in the South American country, particularly among Indigenous communities.
