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    Bolivians march four days to protest president, economy

    LA PAZ (AFP) – Thousands of supporters of Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales arrived in the capital La Paz after a four-day march of about 100 kilometres, protesting against economic hardship.

    Camped out near the city’s main square, the group of mostly Indigenous people – said by the government to number about 2,300 and by organisers 5,000 – are demanding the resignation of incumbent leader Luis Arce.

    They had set out from the village of Patacamaya, south of La Paz, on Friday waving the national flag and the colourful Indigenous banner known as the Wiphala, holding up placards reading: “Arce, there is no fuel”, or “Arce, the people are hungry”.

    “The government should leave because it offers no solution to the crisis and the economy is in tatters,” representative of the ruling MAS party of Morales and Arce Rodolfo Machaca told AFP.

    Upon reaching the city, dozens of protesters attempted to break through police cordons stationed two blocks from the main square, home to the president’s offices.

    Two people were arrested after the protest turned “violent”, a police official told AFP. Demonstrators have said they won’t leave the city.

    Last year, Morales supporters blocked roads in the centre of the country for weeks. That came after prosecutors charged him with statutory assault over an alleged relationship he had with a 15-year-old while in office. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

    Inflation in Bolivia was 9.9 per cent in 2024, the highest in 16 years, according to official data.

    The country has also been hit by shortages of fuel and foreign currency. Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo said three police officers were injured “in an ambush” during the latest protest march, and another two people were hurt when two tourist buses came under attack.

    Morales led the country from 2006 to 2019 and was extremely popular until he tried to bypass the constitution to seek another term.

    He was forced to resign amid deadly protests over alleged election fraud and fled the country for a time.

    Protestors during the ‘Communal for Life’ march against the government of Luis Arce in La Paz, Bolivia. PHOTO: AFP
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