The opposition stronghold is still paralyzed by the demand for a census that will determine the parliamentary representation of each governorate.
On Monday, the government of Louis Ars faced a Escalation of protests with the province of Santa Cruzthe most prosperous in Bolivia and a stronghold of the opposition, paralyzed by a An indefinite strike to demand a census That would redefine the distribution of seats in the legislature.
That eastern city I woke up without transportation, with the closure of roads and streets by protesters; Markets, banks and business companies were closed, and intermittent clashes between groups close to the government that sought to rehabilitate the traffic and the demonstrators in favor of the strike.
The Santa Cruz protests threatened to spread to other regions of the country such as Beni and Potosi and were not the only anti-government demonstration. A huge march of gold miners who Conflict with a new tax system He was paralyzed downtown La Paz on Monday. Teachers also marched for sectoral demands.
The controversy surrounding the census
The census was initially scheduled for November this year, but was postponed for technical and logistical reasons to 2024, according to the government. Santa Cruz leaders are demanding that registration take place in 2023 for results to come in To take effect in the 2025 presidential election.
Attempts at dialogue over the weekend were unsuccessful. The killing of one protester and the arrest of three protest leaders complicated the resolution of the conflict. In turn, unions close to the government have warned against “blocking” food and fuel from entering Santa Cruz.
“Our government is showing readiness for dialogue and has suggested setting a date for the census based on the analysis of the technical tables,” Ars said on Twitter. In turn, former President Evo Morales, head of the ruling Socialist Movement (MAS), said in the same social network as unemployment, “A An excuse to tire our government“.
Since the protest began, the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, one of the leaders of the political opposition, said the census “for the Better education and health for peopleShe described the government as “incompetent” and postponed the census “due to political calculations”.
That area – which produces 70% of the food consumed by the state – calls for a census to bring about a new redistribution of national income because it is the most populous, but above all greater legislative representation that allows it more weight in the state. political decisions.
For analysts, the new registration will also allow the purge of the electoral slate that sparked the serious political crisis of 2019.
Strong polarization in Bolivia has remained dormant since that year when the presidential election was condemned as fraudulent by the Organization of American States, which It triggered a social outbreak and killed 37 people This forced President Morales to resign.
The Arce government faces growing social and political problems exacerbated by unemployment and the high cost of living, to which are added strong disagreements within the ruling party.
The strongest opposition Arce faces comes from unions and civic organizations before Weak and divided political opposition. The most powerful of them is the Santa Cruz Civic Commission that led the 2019 protests against Morales led by Camacho.
Source: AP
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