Thu Jun 12 17:52:53 UTC 2025: **Bolivia Rocked by Protests, Four Dead as Election Tensions Boil Over**
**La Paz, Bolivia** – Political unrest has escalated in Bolivia as anti-government demonstrations, fueled by a struggling economy and frustration over upcoming elections, have turned deadly. At least four people have been killed in clashes between supporters of former President Evo Morales and state forces.
Justice Minister Cesar Siles confirmed the deaths Thursday, identifying the victims as first responders: three police officers and one firefighter. Siles stated that some officers had been shot, and accused protesters of now operating as “paramilitary groups.”
The protests, largely concentrated in rural areas where Morales enjoys strong support, are driven by anger over the economic downturn and his exclusion from the August 17th presidential election. Once hailed as Bolivia’s first Indigenous leader and a champion against poverty, Morales served as president from 2006 to 2019. However, his attempts to bypass term limits and run again in 2019 led to accusations of fraud and a political crisis.
Bolivian courts have repeatedly upheld the two-term limit, barring Morales from the 2025 race, prompting accusations of rights violations from the former president. Road blockades and skirmishes with security forces have become common.
The crisis is further complicated by divisions within the ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, which Morales once led. He left the party following a rift with current President Luis Arce over economic policy and Arce’s own re-election ambitions. Although Arce has since withdrawn from the 2025 race, he has accused Morales of plotting a coup.
Despite the exclusion of Morales, the electoral tribunal has cleared Andronico Rodriguez, a leftist senator and Morales ally, to run in the upcoming election, a move that may placate some supporters.
“Nobody travels on these roads any more, and nobody works normally. It really harms us,” lamented Marlene Poma, a local restaurant owner, highlighting the disruption caused by the protests.
Morales has blamed the crisis on “inadequate government policies,” warning of “total collapse” if change does not occur. The country is grappling with high inflation and dwindling currency reserves, leading many of Morales’ supporters to blame the Arce administration for the decline of Bolivia’s energy sector.
First Piper 