Protests Shake Bolivia as Ministers Resign
A number of ministers within the Bolivian government resigned on Tuesday (2/6) local time, following weeks of protests demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz. Local Bolivian media reports, as cited by AFP on Wednesday (3/6/2026), stated that Defence Minister Marcelo Salinas and Education Minister Beatriz Garcia stepped down from their positions on the same day.
Salinas’s resignation was confirmed by an official from the Bolivian Ministry of Defence. “Yes, this information has been confirmed,” said the official, who requested anonymity. According to local media reports, Salinas has been replaced by Ernesto Justiniano, a young minister currently serving as the country’s anti-drug tsar.
Separately, the Ministry of Education confirmed Garcia’s resignation. The departure of these ministers represents the latest escalation in a deepening political crisis that has paralysed major cities and threatened the stability of President Paz’s administration.
Workers, farmers, and teachers are demanding measures to alleviate Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in four decades. President Paz, who is supported by US President Donald Trump, has warned that Bolivia is at a “critical point.” However, the Bolivian government has refused to rule out the possibility of declaring a state of emergency and deploying the military to control the protests.
According to official Bolivian government data, approximately 100 road blockades have been reported across various regions of the country—nearly double the number seen two weeks ago. Such blockades have triggered shortages of food, medicine, and fuel in La Paz, the administrative centre, as well as in nearby El Alto and several other cities. As a result of the situation, the prices of essential goods in Bolivia have surged.
Meanwhile, the Bolivian government has accused demonstrators of attempting to “overthrow the democratic order” and claims that former President Evo Morales is leading the widespread protests. Morales, who held power from 2006 to 2019, is currently in hiding while facing allegations regarding the trafficking of underage girls. Speaking to AFP recently, Morales stated that the Bolivian people are angry because President Paz oversees a government that is “completely subservient” to the US. “I am very certain that this rebellion is against the neo-liberal model and the neo-colonial state,” he said.