A protester faces the police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, on May 18, 2026. Freddy Barragan/AP
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has given his support to Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, who faces violent protests and blockades from leftist demonstrators in the capital, less than six months after he was elected.
Road closures—organized by the Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB) trade union federation, trade unions representing peasants, and miners—have depleted the food markets in La Paz, and left hospitals short of oxygen supplies.
