Bolivia

Seven presidential decrees have introduced economic reforms covering fuel supply, imports, electricity tariffs, pensions and mining, as the government seeks to boost investment and stabilize the economy

A new emergency legislation has been enacted: it expands the police and army’s range of action in regulating protests; President Paz responded to the demonstrations of the past month, that he described as led by “drug trafficking interests”

Main public hospitals in La Paz are rationing oxygen and medical supplies and began postponing surgeries due to the impact of 16 days of road blockades: the care of hundreds of patients is at risk, according to warnings from directors of medical centers

A series of 17th-century documents recently brought to attention by UNESCO reveal that the trafficking of Africans to exploit Bolivia’s Cerro Rico silver mines was the origin of the Black community in the country

Due to errors detected on election day 22 March, 105 polling stations in Santa Cruz repeated the first round of voting in the subnational elections; incidents led Supreme Electoral Tribunal to order the measure and finalize vote count in the department

Bolivia has entered a severe socioenvironmental crisis this year as illegal mining, organized crime in the Amazon, infrastructure projects threatening water sources and the weakening of environmental institutions have put Indigenous peoples at risk

Protests have erupted in Bolivia as transport workers have denounced poor-quality gasoline, while President Rodrigo Paz has claimed there has been a sabotage against his government amid an internal investigation at the state oil company

A controversial decree has been repealed after 28 days of mass protests over its environmental and indigenous rights impacts; the government has maintained key economic measures and now seeks to pass its agenda through legislation

Campesino groups in Bolivia have blocked major roads to protest the removal of long-standing fuel subsidies, which has sharply raised prices and sparked nationwide unrest led by the Central Obrera Boliviana

Bolivia has authorized Starlink, OneWeb, and Kuiper to operate after years of restrictions, aiming to improve digital access and replace its outdated Chinese satellite amid efforts to attract tech investment and recover from an economic crisis

Bolivia has proposed the creation of a gold bank with public and private capital to control informal mining, ensure traceability, and improve environmental standards amid criticism of the state’s gold purchase scheme launched in 2023