After two years of management, Arce faces protests

President Luis Arce celebrated his second year in office on Tuesday and highlighted among his achievements the low rate of inflation in the Andean nation. However, the government of the leftist leader is experiencing growing social conflicts and an internal struggle within his party, which is led by former President Evo Morales.

“Bolivia is positioned as the economy with the lowest inflation in the region and one of the lowest in the world,” said Arce when presenting a report to Congress, surrounded by supporters who chanted “Lucho, the people are with you!” .

The 59-year-old ruler reported that the accumulated inflation from January to September was 1.76%, while the annual one —from September 2021 to September 2022— reached 1.89%, well below that of the other countries. region of.

Arce, former Minister of Economy during almost the 14 years of the Morales government, highlighted that in 2021 Bolivia registered a GDP growth of 6%, after a drop of -8% the previous year due to the effects of the pandemic .

At the beginning of his speech, opposition lawmakers yelled at the president: “census”.

The government is facing an indefinite strike that has been going on for more than two weeks in the province of Santa Cruz, the economic engine of the country, to claim me for the postponement of a population census for 2024.

Promoted by a Civic Committee and backed by the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho — leader of the second opposition party — the pressure measure has gained support in other regions. However, agrarian unions support the left-wing ruler.

Analysts have criticized the government for letting the conflict drag on, noting that it is already negatively impacting food prices and normal fuel supplies.

On the other hand, Arce also faces internal struggles in your party, the Movement to Socialism (MAS). A rivalry between Arce and former president Morales, who is head of the MAS, became much more evident this week with the dispute over the presidency of Congress, where a deputy close to the ruler was elected.

Political analyst Paul Coca pointed out that the Arce government is in a kind of “voluntary isolation” and “weak” because, he explains, it has not been seen in a rapprochement with a specific sector.

“The government is ignoring a social problem … and the mistakes are being taken advantage of by Morales,” added Coca. Morales (2006-2019) has criticized the handling of the conflict and has called for a prompt solution.

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