Hegseth Backs Bolivia's 6-Month-Old Government as Protests Follow a 90% Fuel Price Surge
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 4
Hegseth Backs Bolivia's 6-Month-Old Government as Protests Follow a 90% Fuel Price Surge
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 4
Summary
Pete Hegseth said the United States will keep backing President Rodrigo Paz Pereira's government, warning Bolivia must not fall to a coup or renewed narco-terrorist influence six months into Paz's term.
Weeks of unrest in La Paz and other cities followed Paz's removal of fuel subsidies, which drove prices up nearly 90%, while a land reform push also angered Indigenous farmers.
The Trump administration says drug traffickers are helping incite the protests; Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau both described the campaign as an attempted coup.
The crisis has already forced Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas to resign, triggered fuel and food shortages, and prompted police to use tear gas after protesters seized an oil facility.
Evo Morales, Bolivia's former president, is pressing for elections within 90 days, adding political pressure as Paz tries to stabilize a government Washington calls legitimate.