A President Luis Arce’s statement sparked criticism in Bolivia. At the end of an event in the city of El Alto (La Paz), the head of state received complaints about the sustained increase in prices and attributed it to the people of Santa Cruz, the main productive region of the country and traditionally opposed to the Al Movement. Socialism (MAS).
“Once again, as in 2007 and 2008, the ‘changers’ are playing dirty games with us“Arce responded to a woman who complained about the increase in prices of basic products such as oil and rice. “But you are the president, then!” replied the woman.
“Camba” is a word to refer to the people of eastern Bolivia.
With this statement, The head of state caused controversy and received a series of criticisms from Santa Cruz politicians. One of the first to speak out was Vicente Cuéllar, rector of the Gabriel René Moreno University. “The MAS has always tried to polarize the country and confront Bolivians, but it has not succeeded. “Bolivia is already tired of the failed model of the MAS and its traditional politicians,” he wrote on his X account. “Your attitude is pathetic, president!”he added.
In the same line, Opposition representative Luisa Nayar stated that Arce’s statement is proof of the “hatred” she has for Santa Cruz. and which in turn reveals the “inability” to lead the country. “It is a new affront to Santa Cruz. “It is the clearest and most flagrant example of the hatred that Luis Arce and the MAS have for this region of the country, but it reveals the inability and irresponsibility of those who are unfortunately leading the country,” said the deputy.
Likewise, the governor Luis Fernando Camacho He responded from the Chonchocoro prison (El Alto), through his social networks, that “Food prices rise due to the disaster of your Government and because of how inept you turned out to be”.
Bolivia faces a series of economic problems since the first quarter of 2023. The decrease in gas production, the fall in exports and international reserves have put the population in the middle of a crisis that is mainly reflected in the shortage of dollars, the emergence of a parallel exchange rate, the sustained increase in the cost of living and increasingly prolonged periods of fuel shortages.
The Government was slow to admit the economic crisis until it was impossible to hide. Only in mid-2024 did the first explanations emerge, in which The president attributed the crisis to poor management of the oil industry during the Evo Morales administration (2006-2019) of which he himself was Minister of Economy.
The allusion he made in his statement – “again like in 2007, 2008…” – dates back precisely to his first years as Morales’ minister. In those years, SAnta Cruz represented the main opposition power to the MAS Government and brought together in the so-called “half moon” the leadership of three other regions.. Several analysts point out that in that period, the cleavage of confrontation and polarization revolved around the regional disputes.
The department of Santa Cruz is considered the “economic engine” of the countryfor its significant contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in which it represented 31.5% in 2023. The main income of the region originates from agroindustry, livestock and exports, which last year represented an income of 3,420 million dollars to the country, according to data from the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE).
Amidst the wave of criticism, The president has opted for discretion and has not publicly referred to the issue until the publication of this note. He is currently in Uruguay, representing the country at the Mercosur Summit, in which he is participating for the first time.
