Lula authorizes humanitarian aid for Bolivia; understand the political crisis in the country

Protesters are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz
Reuters
Brazil announced on Monday (25/05) that it will send humanitarian aid to Bolivia, which has been facing waves of protests against the government. The announcement was made after a telephone conversation between presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Rodrigo Paz, of Bolivia.
The waves of protests and roadblocks have lasted almost a month and have caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine in the country.
"President Lula reiterated his solidarity with the Bolivian government and people and highlighted the importance of full respect for democratic institutions and the rule of law", said the Brazilian Presidency in statement after the conversation.
The request for humanitarian aid was made to Lula by the Bolivian president, who is a center-right Christian conservative. Protests against the Paz government are being led by sectors of the Central Operária Boliviana (COB) union, peasant organizations and groups linked to former left-wing president Evo Morales, who rejected the government's requests for dialogue.
Lula said in his note that he advocates that "government and social movements avoid resorting to violence and favor dialogue as a path to overcoming differences and preserving social peace."
The US and Argentina also offered assistance to deal with the problem. shortages of recent weeks.
The US State Department described the situation in Bolivia as a "humanitarian crisis" and classified the protests as "actions aimed at destabilizing the democratically elected government of Rodrigo Paz". Brazil the difficulties they have been experiencing with the protests in Bolivia, which include problems traveling and risks of shortages.
Protesters are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz
Reuters
What is happening in Bolivia?
Six months after assuming the Presidency of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz is facing intense protests from different sectors with different demands for a change in the government's political direction.
The most critical sectors, including farmers and workers linked to social organizations associated with former president Evo Morales, are even calling for Rodrigo Paz's resignation. The government claims that Morales is behind behind the protests, something that the former president denies.
Morales was declared in contempt of the judicial authority on May 11, after the social leader did not appear at the beginning of his trial for alleged human trafficking.
The protests, which began almost a month ago with roadblocks, have intensified and affect the daily lives of a large part of the Bolivian population, who suffer from shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
Protesters spray painted slogans in the center of La Paz with the message "Out Rodrigo Paz"
Getty Images via BBC Brazil
The protests mask deep discontent with Paz among those who voted for the president, but feel that, in his first term, he is not meeting their demands.
"What's new is that this is a multi-sectoral mobilization that adopts an openly destabilizing stance, which is no longer limited to asking for specific demands, but rather demanding the president's resignation," political scientist Luciana Jáuregui told BBC News Mundo.
What are the reasons behind the increasingly frequent protests in Bolivia?
Road blockades by protesters have led to food shortages
Reuters
1.

Rural properties
The protests began at the end of April, after President Paz announced an agrarian reform with the aim of transforming small rural properties into medium-sized properties.
Law 1720 authorized the National Institute of Agrarian Reform to convert a small rural property into a medium-sized property, as long as the owner voluntarily requests it.
According to the government, the objective of the measure is to allow owners of small rural properties to use them as collateral to obtain credit and, thus, reactivating investments.
However, several peasant groups interpreted the measure as an attempt to promote the sale of agricultural land to large landowners.
Road blockades are affecting the supply of food, medicine and fuel
Getty Images via BBC Brasil
The Túpac Katari Peasant Federation, supported by the Central Operária Boliviana (COB), the largest union center in the country, blocked important highways in more than 30 points, effectively paralyzing the nation.
"All the roads are blocked. People are very angry", says driver Eddy.
In response to the protests, the president revoked the initiative last week.
"It no longer exists, this law is over", declared Paz in a video released by the Bolivian presidency.
Now on g1
2. Low salaries
Additionally, in April, teachers led a series of protests demanding salary increases in a country facing high inflation of 15% per year, making the cost of living a major concern for Bolivians.
Although the inflationary trend has reversed and is declining in recent months, Bolivia ended 2025 with an inflation rate of 20%, one of the highest levels in recent years. Paz took office with the declared objective of controlling skyrocketing prices in the country.
After weeks of negotiations, the Ministry of Education announced an agreement with the teachers, who accepted a bonus and declared that they would suspend the protests.
However, the demonstrations not only continued but spread to new sectors.
Teachers were the first to demonstrate, demanding salary improvements
EPA
3. 'Poor quality gasoline'
"They sold us poor quality gasoline, bad gasoline that spoils the engines of our cars", complains Eddy.
After the increase in fuel prices, a consequence of Paz's decision to eliminate subsidies inherited from the previous government, Bolivians question the quality of the product sold in an attempt to reduce costs.
The Chemical Research Institute of the Superior University of San Andrés (UMSA) carried out a technical analysis that concluded that the gasoline tested did not met quality standards.
A queue of trucks waits on the road to be able to pass through the roadblocks
Reuters
"[The fuel] should not be accepted and should be returned to the supplier", experts recommend.
Transport unions called a strike last month due to concerns about supply.
Questions about the quality of the product, its high prices and the shortages caused by roadblocks in recent weeks have paralyzed much of the country.
This is the case of the city council of La Paz, who announced on Saturday (16/05), in a statement, the temporary suspension of garbage collection services due to lack of fuel.
4.

Constitutional reform
On May 9, the president of Bolivia announced the creation of a commission to carry out a "partial reform" of the Constitution that has governed the country since 2009, with the aim of facilitating investment in the Bolivian economy.
"It will be an open commission for everyone to participate, representing their sectors and regions", announced Paz in Cochabamba.
The current Constitution, approved during the presidency of Evo Morales, transformed Bolivia into a plurinational state - recognizing the existence of multiple nations and establishing new methods for managing natural resources.
The reform aims to modify sectors such as hydrocarbons and mining, leading social movements aligned to Morales to criticize economic reforms for excluding the State as a fundamental actor.
Protesters are calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz
Getty Images via BBC Brazil
"In Bolivia, a revolt has broken out that is not just a response to the growing delegitimization of the government, but rather a structural problem associated with the rupture of the pact between communities and the State", says Jaúregui.
According to critics, the constitutional changes aim to make the privatization of natural resource management viable, an argument denied by the government.
"Here, nobody wants to privatize, nobody wants to increase tariffs, nobody wants to do many of the things that some people, some leaders and some political interests are trying to use to confuse the population", said Paz.
With information from Ayelén Oliva from BBC News World

Source: G1

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