Ap

The newspaper La Jornada
Friday, July 26, 2024, p. 27

La Paz., Bolivian President Luis Arce yesterday accused the opposition-dominated Legislative Assembly of strangle the economy by blocking the approval of nearly one billion dollars in loans, which in his opinion is worsening the fuel supply that has recently reached a critical point. We are aware of the difficult current situation we are experiencing and the adversities we are facing, but the people must know that in order to face the situation we need those groups of senators and deputies (opposition) to stop strangling the economy.the president said in a message to the country last night on state television. His government faces strong criticism and protests over the shortage of imported diesel, the scarcity of which is affecting the productive apparatus and transportation. Arce said that fuel imports have been affected by the low flow in the Paraguay-Paraná waterway that prevents the arrival of barges loaded with diesel arriving from Paraguay and Argentina. He also said that there are difficulties due to the storm surges in Chilean Pacific ports that are delaying the unloading of fuel that must arrive in Bolivia. In addition, he accused the opposition of blocking the approval of credits that have been granted by international organizations but that cannot be disbursed because they require the approval of the legislative assembly. Arce said that his government can face the situation if they unblock the credits, paralyzed for more than a year in the legislature, since the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) was divided by internal disputes.