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LatinNews Daily - 27 June 2018

University unrest continues in Bolivia

Development: On 26 June Bolivia’s communications minister, Gisela López, reiterated a call for dialogue with authorities from Universidad Pública de El Alto (Upea), the public university of El Alto, La Paz department.

Significance: The call comes as Upea teaching staff and students have been staging protests for over a month over demands for a higher budget. The unrest, which made headlines last month after a student, Jonathan Quispe, was killed in the protests on 24 May, comes despite the promulgation by President Evo Morales on 25 June of a law authorising a further B$70m (US$10m) for the Upea in its annual budget.

  • Quispe’s death prompted widespread outrage with thousands of protesters taking to the streets on 28 May in cities across Bolivia such as Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, and Santa Cruz, all capitals of eponymous departments, calling for justice. The unrest has also left at least two police officers and an academic injured while a dozen people have been arrested.
  • A police deputy lieutenant Cristian Casanova has been charged in relation to Quispe’s death – which also prompted calls for Interior Minister Carlos Romero to resign. Casanova is currently being held in prison on a preventative basis while investigations continue.
  • The presidents of the bicameral national legislature, Senator José Alberto Gonzales and Deputy Gabriela Montaño both of the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party, have said that the authorities from Upea – which has been calling for an additional B$150m in resources – should justify their demands for the extra cash.

Looking Ahead: Worryingly for the MAS government, Upea’s cause has the support of other sectors, suggesting that the unrest could spread. On 26 June, the La Paz medical association also staged a 24-hour strike in the capital in support of the university academics and students, despite Health Minister Rodolfo Rocabado declaring the strike illegal.

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