LatinNews Daily - 12 January 2026

*The Bolivian workers’ union Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) has announced that it has forced a major concession on economic policy from President Rodrigo Paz’s government after weeks of protests sparked by the cancellation of fuel subsidies. In a statement, the COB said the government has agreed to revoke Decree 5503, which was issued alongside the subsidy elimination in December and contained numerous economic reforms. These included the liberalisation of fuel import rules, the freezing of public sector salaries, tax breaks for investment in productive activities, and the lifting of export restrictions on some agricultural goods, among other things. The COB’s announcement came two days after the union’s leader, Mario Argollo, announced on 9 January that it would be escalating its campaign of roadblocks and launching a “national revolution”. President Paz wrote on social media that “Decree 5503 fulfilled its purpose” by helping to “stabilise the Bolivian economy” and improving the supply of fuel and stabilising the exchange rate. He said that “the subsidies were eliminated and this is an economic victory – that isn’t going to change,” adding that “we need a new decree to consolidate our economic and social achievements”.

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