Weekly Report - 23 April 2020 (WR-20-16)

Even in the midst of a pandemic, with the elections scheduled for 3 May still indefinitely suspended, there appears to be no issue of political significance in Bolivia that does not descend immediately into partisan rivalry. While interim president Jeanine Áñez’s political opponents have fiercely criticised her pandemic response strategy [WR-20-15], undoubtedly with at least one eye on the election, the interim government has itself blamed these rivals for several of its most pressing challenges, most recently in relation to the escalating tensions in Chapare, Cochabamba department.