Bolivia rocked by protests as fuel shortages and rising costs bite

{"text":[[{"start":7.5,"text":"Nationwide protests rocked Bolivia on Friday as labour and farming unions blocked roadways, calling for centre-right President Rodrigo Paz to resign over rising fuel costs and shortages as energy prices surge globally."}],[{"start":21,"text":"The demonstrations that started earlier this month escalated after Paz reshuffled his cabinet this week in an attempt to quell backlash over the scrapping of fuel subsidies as the South American nation contends with rising inflation and low wages. "}],[{"start":35.15,"text":"As protesters clashed with police at marches in the capital of La Paz, the Bolivian government and the armed forces announced that “humanitarian corridors” would be opened on Saturday so that medications, food and fuel could pass through roadblocks."}],[{"start":50.9,"text":"At least three people died this week on backed-up highways awaiting medical treatment, according to the government, while hospitals have warned of limited supplies. Food prices have surged, with some shops in La Paz and other big cities reporting shortages of basic goods."}],[{"start":66.7,"text":"“Roadblocks are synonymous with death,” Paz, the market-friendly son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, said on Wednesday. “The national government calls for the free movement of medical supplies and materials, and is working tirelessly to guarantee the rights of Bolivians.”"}],[{"start":82.5,"text":"Paz’s election last year ended nearly two decades of socialist rule."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":87.15,"text":"Paz began rolling back fuel subsidies in December, though rising prices in recent weeks driven by tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have compounded the pain in Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in South America."}],[{"start":99.65,"text":"The protests are led by the country’s labour and highland farming unions, which are close to former president Evo Morales, whose Movement Towards Socialism party dominated Bolivian politics for the past two decades. "}],[{"start":112.05000000000001,"text":"Under Morales’ rule from 2006 to 2019 the party expanded social spending amid a commodities boom and distanced the country from Washington."}],[{"start":121.55000000000001,"text":"The government has also said that the Red Ponchos, a militant indigenous Aymara organisation with links to Morales, has mobilised amid the demonstrations."}],[{"start":131.55,"text":"Morales has agitated against Paz, saying on Friday that Paz’s father and great-uncle, both former presidents, had supported coups in Bolivia. “Your lies will not prevail,” he wrote on X. “Sooner or later, the truth will triumph.”"}],[{"start":146.15,"text":"Morales — who is wanted on charges of statutory rape and human trafficking — has denied accusations that he fathered a child with a teenager in 2016, characterising them as politically motivated. He is living in a jungle compound surrounded by supporters to avoid arrest."}],[{"start":163.35,"text":"US secretary of state Marco Rubio has backed Paz, writing on X on Thursday that Washington “will not allow criminals and drug traffickers to overthrow democratically elected leaders in our hemisphere”."}],[{"start":175.75,"text":"Bolivia has been mired in a slow-burning economic crisis for years, with foreign currency reserves depleting as its vital natural gas exports have dwindled. "}],[{"start":184.85,"text":"While Paz has pledged reforms to open up the country’s vast lithium and gas reserves to foreign investment, he faces pushback in congress, where his party holds a minority. "}],[{"start":194.79999999999998,"text":"In February, the World Bank approved a $200mn loan to Bolivia, though its disbursement awaits congressional approval. Paz is also seeking a $3bn IMF programme."}],[{"start":206.95,"text":"The political crisis has raised tensions across the region, with Colombia’s leftist president on Sunday calling Paz a “puppet of the USA and the Bolivian oligarchs”. Bolivia expelled Colombia’s ambassador in La Paz in response."}],[{"start":230.39999999999998,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779666553_2420.mp3"}