The Latin American Report # 349

Bolivia

In this South American nation, today marks eleven days of the installation of road blockades by groups related to Evo Morales, in a measure of pressure to protect the former president who is unsuccessfully trying to get on the electoral ballot, is at odds with the faction of his party led by the president, and is also defending himself from a serious resurfaced accusation linking him to a case of sexual intercourse with a minor. Incidentally, they are taking on a national sentiment requiring the Big House of the People to solve the fuel and dollar shortage and the galloping inflation. A high Bolivian official noted yesterday that the losses due to the blockades are valued at about 770,000 dollars just considering the toll payments not received. Meanwhile, Bolivian producers lose some US$ 190 million per day due to this situation, while exports would be reduced by between US$ 1,000 and 1,500 million also due to it. The offensive of those loyal to the coca growers' leader is concentrated in his stronghold of Cochabamba. Morales has a lot of grassroots muscle in the ruling MAS, and he also has elected officials responding to him in the national Congress—something that has allowed him to hinder the legislative agenda of the Executive—and certain local governments.

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Argentina

Representatives of the public education and health sectors came out last Tuesday to protest in the iconic Plaza de Mayo against the harsh cuts sustained by the government of Javier Milei, a president obsessed with the thesis that by keeping the fiscal deficit at zero, prosperity will sprout and embrace all Argentines. Voters allowed him to test a very orthodox economic policy that does not believe in market failures; he will not print money to pay off any deficit no matter how laudable the goal. However, it has been interesting for me to see how amid a real financial contingency such as the one experienced by the country the government has invested sound amounts to strengthen the Army, and in this same direction has pretended discretionary funds for its intelligence apparatus as if it were subject to imminent and very important terrorist threats.

“[This is] a government of a market fundamentalism that sustains its destruction of policies in a fetishistic belief in fiscal balances, in the 'zero deficit' and in another series of barbarities that have led us today to a desperate situation,” a teacher told EFE. “My salary is below the poverty line,” said another female professor. In recent days several university buildings have been taken over by students and professors protesting against the defunding prescribed by Milei, whose veto of a bill alleviating the sector detonated the current escalation in the social conflict. He had previously done the same with a bill aimed at retirees, with his chainsaw seeking more state trees as Balcarce 50 announced more layoffs in the already devalued state plant and the activation of a suitability test for part-time contracted workers. Anyway, the latter is better than indiscriminately dismissing them. We need to be ready for more clashes there.

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And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.