Bolivia braces for turmoil as antigovernment protesters begin march
Al Jazeera
‘March to Save Bolivia’: Ex-President Morales challenges former ally and incumbent President Arce in political showdown.
A simmering political battle between former allies is threatening to boil over into an all-out struggle for power after Bolivia’s popular and controversial former leftist president, Evo Morales, called on supporters to take to the streets in protest against current President Luis Arce.
Morales announced a weeklong “March to Save Bolivia” on Monday after Arce accused him on national TV of trying to overthrow his government in a coup attempt.
Antigovernment protesters blocked roads on the outskirts of the capital, La Paz, on Tuesday, calling for Arce’s resignation due to his mismanagement of the economy.
Supporters also blocked roads leading to Lake Titicaca, shared by Bolivia and Peru and a popular tourist destination.
“It’s an incompetent government that we have, and it won’t solve the economic crisis,” said Pablo Merma, a peasant leader of the so-called Red Ponchos, rebel Indigenous activists from the high plains, who was among the protesters.
