Despite President Luis Arce’s claims that reports of fuel shortages have been exaggerated, the decision on 12 June to deploy soldiers to petrol stations around Bolivia suggests the issue is a real one. Arce argued that the blocking of highways by protesters had been encouraged by the right-wing opposition, as well as supporters of former president Evo Morales (2006-2019), who is challenging Arce for the candidacy of the ruling left-wing Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) in next year’s election. The protestors were mostly transport workers warning that fuel shortages were threatening their livelihoods, although government ministers pointed out that the protests were worsening the situation by impeding the delivery of fuel around the country.End of preview - This article contains approximately 352 words.
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