In Bolivia, the opposition refuses to engage in dialogue and fires on police officers after a 12-day strike.

Michele de Mello, Brazil of Fact - In Bolivia, the opposition has been staging a strike in the state of Santa Cruz for 12 days to demand that the government of Luis Arce hold the national demographic census in 2023. The government's proposal is to hold the census in 2024, however, the measure is labeled "irresponsible" by the opposition. The president has formed a national dialogue commission to find a solution to the impasse, but the opposition refuses to negotiate. 

 The postponement of the census, according to the government, is due to technical issues and was approved by the National Council of Autonomies (CNA), which met last week in Cochabamba with representatives from all departments except Santa Cruz. The Arce government appointed the Minister of Planning, Sergio Cusicanqui, and the presidential spokesperson, Jorge Richter, to form a dialogue commission. 

 The indefinite strike was called on October 22nd by the Interinstitutional Committee, led by Camacho, the rector of the Autonomous University of the region, Vicente Cuellar; and the leader of the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz, Rómulo Calvo. The strike covers the capital Santa Cruz de la Sierra and includes blockades on access roads to the state.

 Cuellar and Calvo showed willingness to dialogue with the national government last Tuesday (1st), but the state governor refused dialogue and called on his most radical base to maintain the barricades on the highways.

 "They are trying to camouflage it as if it were a social movement, a cause for the census, but in reality it is a political movement," analyzes Bolivian political scientist Yecid Velasco, in an interview with Brasil de Fato.

 The impasse lies in the proportionality of parliamentary representation. If the census is carried out in 2023 and confirms population growth in Santa Cruz, the department, dominated by the opposition, could be entitled to more seats in the Plurinational Assembly of Bolivia in time for the 2024 legislative elections.

 The road blockades and disturbances carried out by the opposition are seen by the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS-IPSP), the ruling party, as an attempt to destabilize Arce's administration.

 "The census is a technical tool to verify our demographic characteristics and has been demonized to disrupt the constitutional order and destabilize the government," denounces the MAS-IPSP leadership in a statement.

 They add that "violent confrontation is a trap set by those who refuse to live in a democracy and recognize their compatriots as citizens with equal rights and opportunities." 

 By preventing the flow of goods, the strike is causing daily losses of US$40 million (approximately R$100 million), according to the Bolivian government.

 The Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, reported to local Bolivian media that she was receiving death threats and that violent groups were patrolling in front of her residence in order to intimidate her family.

 The current governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, was one of the protagonists of the 2019 coup d'état. Camacho is also one of the leaders of the separatist movements "Media Luna," a predominantly white region rich in hydrocarbons, such as natural gas, and with a strong presence of agribusiness, where separatist conflicts were recorded in 2008. It encompasses the states of Tarija, Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, Beni, and Pando, in eastern Bolivia, a border region with Brazil.  

 Camacho was one of those indicted in the Panama Papers scandal, which revealed an international network of politicians who used shell companies in Panama for money laundering and tax evasion.

 On Tuesday night, clashes occurred between police and members of the Unión Juvenil Crucenhista (UJC) – a paramilitary group from Camacho's political base – in La Guardia, a metropolitan area of ​​the capital of the Santa Cruz department, which ended with nine people detained. According to the Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, at least six police patrol cars were destroyed. 

 "The Union of Crucenhista Youth is a delinquent group, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights itself has advocated for its dismantling due to its violent actions during the coup d'état," Velasco comments.

 The Minister of Health, Jeyson Auza, accuses the governor of Santa Cruz of committing crimes against humanity, releasing videos showing protesters blocking ambulances on the department's roads and attacking healthcare professionals trying to get to their workplaces. The official also stated that he will sue protesters who appear in videos blocking hospital vehicles. 

 "Even in armed conflicts, healthcare professionals and ambulances are respected. Preventing ambulances from passing, as is happening today in Santa Cruz, is a deplorable act and comparable to a crime against humanity," Auza denounced.

 In response, popular movements began a caravan on Tuesday night, which departed from San Julián and will travel 140 km to the capital Santa Cruz de la Sierra, to demand an end to the opposition strike. 

 "It is the social movements that are defending the government of Luis Arce, elected with more than 55% of the votes in the first round, so he has the support of the citizens. It is a small group of oligarchs from Santa Cruz who are trying to overthrow the government because they were unable to maintain the coup government of Jeanine Áñez and now they want to break the State," concludes Yecid Velasco. 

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