Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s economic engine, leads the strike against government measures

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Bolivian region of Santa Cruz, the most populous and the productive engine of the country and bastion of the opposition, leads the strike that has been carried out for five days by transporters, merchants, civic and opposition sectors, a measure that the government claims is a new attempt at a “coup d’état”.

The main slogan is to get the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) of President Luis Arce to annul the National Strategy Law against the Legitimization of Illicit Gains and the Financing of Terrorism, which they consider to be an attack on citizens’ freedoms and to repeal other questioned laws.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Bolivia

The national strike, in force since last Monday, has been partial in several regions, although involving blockades, marches, caravans, and constant assemblies which have given way to the intervention of groups related to the government and the Police under the premise of defending free transit, which has led to strong incidents.

“CAMIONAZO”

A caravan of trucks from the heavy transport sector demonstrated in the streets of Santa Cruz with signs calling for the annulment of the “damned law” and the argument that the protest is for the “future” of the country.

The high tonnage trucks of national and international cargo paraded praising the Bolivian and Santa Cruz flag amidst applause from some citizens identified with that cause who maintained blockade points.

However, their intention to approach the center of the city was prevented by the Bolivian Police, which generated moments of tension with the demonstrators who claimed their right to protest, although later they decided to hold their final meeting at another point.

The protest brought together a thousand operators of high tonnage vehicles from different parts of the department and, according to some of its leaders, will continue until the Government responds to their demands.

REGIONAL TENSION

In this context, there is tension between the Santa Cruz region and the Bolivian government, which accuses its leaders of promoting “hatred and lies” in some popular sectors so that they “support their coup plans”, said the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, at a press conference in La Paz the day before (Thursday).

Prada accused the president of the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz, Rómulo Calvo, of “publicly and in open hostility” talking about “overthrowing” the government.

However, in a speech the day before, the civic leader referred to the risk of that happening if sectors previously sympathetic to the ruling party, such as the Potosí miners, joined the protests.

“Stop your hate speeches and lies. Govern for all Bolivians. You are a President who neither dialogues nor listens to the people and their sectors, who are in the streets against your package of persecutory laws”, was Calvo’s response to President Arce, who alluded to his words in a massive rally in the Tropic of Cochabamba.

For his part, the governor of Santa Cruz and opposition leader, Luis Fernando Camacho, filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, considering that some police officers had committed excesses such as when they pointed a gas cannon at a demonstrator and struggled with a disabled person.

To this situation was added the support to the strike offered by the mayor of Santa Cruz, Jhonny Fernandez, questioned a few days ago for his neutrality towards the regional demand and who is related to the MAS despite belonging to the Civic Unity Solidarity party (UCS).

Fernandez announced that he sent a note to President Arce to attend to the protesters’ demands, which he considers “legitimate”.

The Santa Cruz sectors in protest confirmed for this Friday, the fifth day of the strike, after some flexibility given these days for the population to stock up on food.

Bolivia lives since 2019 a persistent political polarization and now claims that the protests of various sectors seek is a similar effect to the events of 2019.