La Paz (AFP) – Several cities in Bolivia woke up without transportation service and with roads blocked in different parts of the country, within the framework of a protest called by transporters against the shortage and poor quality of fuel.
First modification: 05/05/2026 - 22:29 Last modification: 05/06/2026 - 03:49
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The streets of La Paz, seat of the Executive and Legislative powers, woke up with little traffic because bus, minibus and taxi drivers complied with a national strike.
The same thing happened in the cities of El Alto, Sucre, Cochabamba and Oruro, according to local media.
The state-run Bolivian Highway Administrator (ABC) also reported more than 70 blocking points on the country's routes.
The drivers demand from center-right President Rodrigo Paz a regular supply of fuel and guarantee its quality, since in recent months contaminated gasoline damaged thousands of engines, as acknowledged by the authorities. They also demand to improve the condition of national roads.
Allegations of "non-compliance"
The strike responds to the "failure to comply with all agreements that have been made" between transporters and the government, said Lucio Gómez, representative of the Confederation of Bolivian Drivers, at a press conference.
President Paz took office in November with the promise of normalizing the supply of fuel and eliminating long lines at service stations.
The subsidy policy, a banner of the administrations of Evo Morales (2006-2019) and Luis Arce (2020-2025), exhausted the dollars that were used to import them and caused one of the country's worst economic crises in four decades.
Subsidies eliminated, but the crisis continues
And although Paz eliminated the subsidies in December, until now he has not been able to solve the problem.
According to leader Gómez, "the lines have appeared" again, poor quality gasoline continues to affect transportation and the government has not fully compensated for the damage to damaged vehicles.
The government has given different versions of the causes of the pollution, such as international mafias that replace the fuel during its import, alleged sabotage by officials or the lack of cleaning during its storage.
Gómez indicated that the measure is a "staggered strike." It will drag on day after day until the government responds to their claims.
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