Protests in Bolivia escalate amid economic turmoil and policy demands

Protests in Bolivia have entered the third day with three separate groups calling for reforms to agricultural, educational and labour policies. The country’s main trade union, the Bolivian Workers’ Centre (COB) union, issued a strike call last Friday, coinciding with labour reform protests around the globe to mark International Workers’ Day. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list The South American nation was already facing a currency shortage, causing its largest economic crisis in 40 years. On Tuesday, COB, alongside transport and education workers, took to the streets, leading to clashes with police. Law enforcement officers fired tear gas at protesters near the presidential palace in La Paz, and in nearby El Alto, public workers blocked the streets with buses, cars and trucks. What’s behind the transit protests? Last year, centre-right politician Rodrigo Paz was elected president of Bolivia , marking a shift in government leadership in a country that had been under socialist rule for decades. Bolivia, which is facing a budgetary crisis, ended a fuel subsidy, putting pressure on the country’s working class. The fuel subsidy that Paz cut was decades-old and kept petrol prices at 2006 levels. As a result, quality fuels became increasingly inaccessible. Transport workers say that they were forced to use lower-quality fuel and claim that, because of that, their cars, trucks and buses have damaged engines. …