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Economy & Business - January 2026
BOLIVIA: Paz lands partial victory after fuel subsidy fight
Street protests and road blockades continued into the new year in Bolivia following the 17 December announcement by President Rodrigo Paz that he was scrapping fuel subsidies as part of wider measures aimed at stabilising the country’s economy. According to Economy Minister Gabriel Espinoza, the subsidies were costing US$10m per day; in the 2025 budget, the government of Paz’s predecessor, Luis Arce (2020-2025), costed them at around US$3bn, or 4% of GDP. The removal of subsidies triggered a jump of 86% in the price of petrol and of more than 160% in the price of diesel. This price rise triggered major protests that ended up forcing the government to backtrack on some of its wider economic agenda.
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