Members of unions that represent merchants, transport workers, local producers and neighborhood associations march Tuesday in Cochabamba, in central Bolivia, “in defense of democracy” and to demand an end to the roadblocks set up by farmers from the Altiplano who are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz. Photo by Jorge Abrego/EPA
May 20 (UPI) — Bolivia is facing one of its most severe political and social crises in recent years as President Rodrigo Paz’s government and U.S. officials warned of what they described as “a coup attempt underway” amid violent protests, prolonged road blockades and widespread shortages.
Authorities accuse allies of former President Evo Morales, along with armed groups and organized crime networks, of attempting to destabilize the democratically elected government.
In an interview Wednesday with Radio Mitre in Buenos Aires, Bolivia’s foreign minister warned that the country faces an attempted coup by those seeking to remove Paz’s government. Paz took office less than a year ago following a disputed transition process.
Foreign Minister Aramayo alleged the existence of armed factions and accused Morales of resisting judicial proceedings and encouraging political destabilization.
The demonstrations, concentrated mainly in La Paz, have led to clashes, attacks on public buildings, looting and highway blockades that disrupted supplies of fuel, food and medical oxygen.
“What is taking shape in Bolivia is clearly a coup attempt. There is no other name for it. Someone wants to overthrow a democratically elected government by force,” Aramayo said.
On Tuesday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reiterated White House support for the Bolivian government and argued the crisis extends beyond an internal political dispute.
“This is a coup attempt that is underway,” Landau said, adding that political actors and criminal networks have formed an alliance to weaken Bolivia’s democratic institutions.
Landau criticized violent mobilizations against an elected government and said the crisis reflects a broader regional problem involving weak institutions and the expansion of organized crime.
In an interview with UPI, former Hydrocarbons Minister Álvaro Ríos Roca linked the conflict to the political objectives of Morales, who remains in a coca-growing region outside the reach of authorities.
“That is why Morales has led these marches,” Ríos Roca said, contending the former president seeks to preserve political influence and avoid judicial proceedings.
Ríos Roca also said organizations historically tied to the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS, had been mobilized with expectations of regaining lost state benefits.
“They used to receive money, vehicles and housing. Those privileges were cut off,” he said.
He added that fear and uncertainty surrounding Morales’ political and legal future continue to fuel tensions, particularly over potential actions involving foreign intelligence agencies, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Bolivian political analyst Franklin Pareja agreed that the protests are backed by organized structures with illicit interests. He described the unrest not as a genuine social conflict, but as a “seditious, anti-democratic and terrorist process” driven by criminal organizations that see their activities under threat.
“All they want is to break the constitutional order,” Pareja said on RTP Bolivia.
Public frustration has also been fueled by economic problems and government management failures.
Former Argentine undersecretary for International Strategic Affairs Martín Schapiro distanced himself from the idea of a coup, although he acknowledged strong organization behind the protests.
“I do not like the idea of calling it a possible coup,” Schapiro told UPI. “There are many social movements mobilized demanding the president’s resignation, the most emblematic being the COB,” referring to Bolivia’s main labor federation, the Central Obrera Boliviana.
“So there is clearly organization and an explicit objective,” he added.
Schapiro said Bolivia’s situation is also tied to social conflicts accumulated during years of governance by the MAS movement.
“This is connected to a structural problem linked to the hydrocarbon-based economic model, with declining resources that Rodrigo Paz is managing through aggressive austerity measures. That has triggered a reaction from social movements,” he said.
He added that Bolivia has long experienced intense political and social confrontation, particularly involving sectors opposed to conservative political forces and disconnected from grassroots movements.
Ríos Roca noted the government partially reduced fuel subsidies and recently distributed substandard gasoline, known locally as “junk gasoline,” which he said damaged between 30,000 and 100,000 vehicles.
Although he said the technical problem has been resolved, the former minister argued the issue continues to be used as a political weapon.
In La Paz, the blockades have created a critical situation.
“Even the protesters cannot eat,” Ríos Roca said, adding that the government is relying on exhaustion to force demonstrators off the streets.
Eduardo Olivo, president of Bolivia’s Chamber of Commerce, warned that more than 4 million people in La Paz and El Alto have suffered shortages and economic paralysis during three weeks of unrest.
Olivo said the protests no longer reflect legitimate social demands, but rather “a deliberate intention to destabilize the country.”
He said fuel supplies have been normalized and compensation is being provided for damage caused by contaminated gasoline. He attributed the continuation of protests to political interests and the end of what he called the “fuel smuggling business.”
Not all analysts agree with the coup narrative.
“The president became too elitist,” political scientist Marcelo Silva said, arguing that Paz distanced himself from the working-class sectors that helped bring him to power and that many supporters now feel betrayed.
Still, Silva rejected the idea that Paz’s resignation would solve the crisis.
“There is no political leadership in the country, there is no alternative project. That remedy would be worse than the disease,” he said.
Experts agree the conflict could continue for weeks. While Pareja warned that even a change in government would not resolve Bolivia’s economic crisis or fuel shortages, Ríos Roca said the ultimate goal of the protests is to force Paz’s resignation so the vice president can take office — a scenario he contended also would fail to solve the country’s structural problems.
