(La Paz) Thousands of coca producers in Bolivia blocked the roads Thursday, on the fourth day of demonstrations in support of ex-president Evo Morales, disqualified by the courts as a candidate for the 2025 presidential election.
According to an official report, two civilians died due to road blockages and 11 police officers were injured on Wednesday during clashes with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Constitutional Court judges who have ruled against Mr. Morales in recent days.
“We are not going home without these resignations. We want judicial elections,” protest leader Vicente Choque told RKC radio from one of the gathering points in the department of Cochabamba, political stronghold of the former president (2006-2019), himself a former coca producer.
Judges of the Constitutional Court and other courts themselves extended their terms – which were due to end in 2023 – in the absence of an agreement in Congress on holding elections for new judicial authorities.
Led by the powerful coca growers’ organization, Morales’ supporters have been blocking traffic since Monday using stones, tree trunks and burning tires. Dozens of vehicles were blocked on the roads.
On Thursday, the road administration recorded 22 blockage points, notably in the departments of La Paz, the capital, and Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s economic engine, compared to 16 on Wednesday.
The roadblocks cut Bolivia’s east and west and threaten to drive up the price of meat and eggs in La Paz.
As a result, the government plans to build an “air bridge to facilitate the arrival of products” in the Bolivian capital, said Deputy Consumer Protection Minister Jorge Silva. Road blockages cause daily losses of 128 million dollars (around 118 million euros), according to estimates from the Ministry of the Economy.
The protests further accentuated the confrontation between Mr. Morales and current President Luis Arce, his former ally and former Minister of Economy, whom he accuses of having prevented his candidacy with the help of members of congress and judges.
Both have been nominated by their supporters as candidates for president in 2025.
Evo Morales was president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019, having been re-elected in 2009 and again in 2014. In 2019, he resigned from the presidency amid social unrest and accusations of electoral fraud.