Bolivia faces blockades due to a shortage of dollars that the government denies

This Monday, international cargo carriers and merchants blocked several roads that connect with trucks with trucks Peru and Chili, to report a dollar shortage which the government denies.

“Today we begin our mobilizations, for now it is 24 hours, but it can be indefinite with border closures“Warned Jorge Gutiérrez, from the Chamber of International Transportation of the department of Oruro, in statements to the press.

The blockades are recorded in at least nine points in the departments of La Paz, Oruro (west) and Santa Cruz (east), reported the Bolivian Highway Administrator, a government agency.

The protesters parked their trucks blocking passage in both directions on different roads, and in Oruro they built barricades with earth and stones, according to television images.

Simultaneously, merchants marched in cities such as La Paz, Cochabamba, Sucre and Potosí. Both unions denounce the lack of dollars and the consequent drop in imports, and in the case of transporters, the increase in the prices of spare parts.

Since last year, Bolivia has recorded a lower inflow of foreign currency due to a decrease in gas sales, its main source of income until 2020.

The government of Luis Arce had to use its international reserves to subsidize the price of imported fuels.

According to the unions protesting against Arce, private and state banks are restricting the delivery of dollars.

“Our sector is alarmed and will be respected. There are no dollars”said the leader of the merchants, César Gonzales. However, the Arce government denied this Monday a shortage of foreign currency and targeted the financial system and speculators.

“There are banks that are going to be sanctioned for not having granted these resources in a timely manner. That’s where this speculation is generated. It’s not that there are no dollars.”stated the Minister of Economy, Gonzalo Montenegro.

In the informal market, the greenback was traded this Monday at 8 and up to 9 bolivianos per dollar, when the official rate set by the Central Bank of Bolivia is 6.96 bolivianos. However, AFP was able to verify that the US currency was not offered in several exchange offices in La Paz.

According to a report from the Ministry of Economy, the bank has “US$258 million.” Authorities also believe the protests are politically motivated.

The Bolivian Minister of Public Works, Édgar Montaño, directly pointed out former President Evo Morales, exiled from the government, for having given “The instruction” to block roads. Morales and Arce are competing for the ruling party’s nomination for the 2025 presidential election.

It may interest you

• A decade of the cable car that connects two cities and transports 200 thousand people a day
• Bolivian journalists work for less money and in worse conditions
• Bolivia bond rally baffles Wall Street