Bolivia’s capital under siege as protests deepen crisis for President
Paz
[May 20, 2026]
By CARLOS VALDEZ and PAOLA FLORES
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz faces a deepening
crisis as widespread protests and blockades leave the political capital
under siege less than six months after he took office.
Two weeks of road closures — spearheaded by the Bolivian Workers’
Central, COB, peasant unions and miners — have emptied markets in La Paz
and depleted vital hospital oxygen reserves. The government reported
that at least three people died after emergency vehicles were blocked
from reaching medical centers.
On Monday, supporters of Bolivia’s influential ex-President Evo Morales
clashed with police in the capital city as they joined multiple sectors
demanding the resignation of the president, who lacks both a legislative
majority and a robust political party to anchor his administration.
The unrest presents the biggest challenge yet for Paz, a
business-friendly centrist who came to power six months ago as a wave of
conservative electoral wins swept the region.
“Those seeking to destroy democracy will go to jail,” Paz warned on
Friday, even as the blockades expanded to engulf nearly the entire
country.
What workers demand
The COB began by demanding wage increases, while peasant unions demanded
a steady supply of gasoline. The miners, meanwhile, are negotiating
separately for access to additional mining areas. Public schoolteachers
are also holding separate talks regarding salary improvements.
"These demands have been largely addressed in a manner consistent with
current realities; however, there are dark forces seeking to destabilize
our democracy,” said presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez, in an
allusion to influential former President Evo Morales.
Paz reiterates that he inherited a “bankrupt state,” yet his adversaries
reproach him for his sluggish response to the worst crisis in 40 years —
marked by fuel shortages and an inflation rate that hovered near 20%
last year.
According to business organizations, ongoing protests and road blockades
are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia's economy and
have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on the highways.
The role of Morales
Morales marshaled the latest march from his hideout in Bolivia’s remote
tropics. He has been holed up in the highlands for the past year and a
half, evading an arrest warrant on charges relating to his alleged
sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl. He says the allegations are
politically motivated.
The Movement Toward Socialism, MAS, which had governed Bolivia for the
past two decades under Morales and later Luis Arce, suffered a historic
defeat in last year’s elections following a bitter feud between the two
former leaders.
“The government and the right wing claim that I am a political corpse
and that I lack the ability to mobilize anyone, yet they continue to
blame me,” Morales said recently on X. “As long as structural demands —
such as those concerning fuel, food and inflation — remain unaddressed,
the uprising will not be quelled.”
Despite his fiery rhetoric, analysts believe Morales no longer has the
power to rally mass support, suggesting instead that he is fueling the
protests purely to evade justice.
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A protester faces the police during an anti-government protest in La
Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Freddy Barragan)
Paz lacks legislative support
The collapse of the MAS era left the Bolivian political landscape
deeply fractured, with no single party emerging as a dominant force.
Paz secured a surprise electoral victory, but the Christian
Democratic Party — the vehicle for his rise to power — quickly
fractured within the legislature. Meanwhile, the president remains
locked in an open feud with his vice president, former police
officer Edman Lara.
Paz began his term with vigor, reaching out to the international
community to break the isolation that had characterized the MAS era.
While his efforts secured various pledges of investments and loans,
many of these funds have yet to materialize.
As a first measure, he put an end to fuel subsidies, which drove up
the prices of gasoline and diesel — yet without triggering protests
among a population weary of previous shortages. However, the
government imported low-quality gasoline, which sparked protests
among transport workers over damage to their vehicles.
The “junk gasoline” scandal triggered a wave of strikes and protests
among transportation workers and the resignations of two
high-ranking officials at the state-owned oil company.
The US and Latin America react to the crisis
The ongoing protests and blockades in Bolivia worry the wider
region.
Eight allied Latin American governments, from Chile to Costa Rica,
recently released a joint statement rejecting “any action aimed at
destabilizing the democratic order.” Neighboring Argentina said it
would start a weeklong humanitarian airlift to alleviate shortages
in the country.
The United States, now rebuilding relations with Bolivia after years
in which Morales defined the country in opposition to Washington,
said it supported Paz’s efforts “to restore order for the peace,
security and stability of the Bolivian people.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said
on X that he spoke with Paz to affirm U.S. support for Bolivia’s
legitimate government. Landau also condemned the organizers of
blockades and riots, claiming without evidence that they have the
backing of organized crime and drug traffickers.
___
Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre reported from Ushuaia,
Argentina.
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