LA PAZ, June 2 (Reuters) – Bolivian defence minister Marcelo Salinas resigned on Tuesday, a ministry source told Reuters, following weeks of social unrest and mass protests which have blocked streets in major cities over the last month.
A second government source said Ernesto Justiniano has been tapped to replace Salinas.
Anti-government protests led by labor unions and groups loyal to former leftist President Evo Morales, have strangled supply chains and demanded the resignation of centrist President Rodrigo Paz, who assumed office in November 2025 putting an end to almost two decades of leftist rule.
Last week Paz took steps towards declaring a state of emergency that could send troops into the streets to restore calm.
Protesters want the new government to roll back austerity measures and address rising living costs.
The conflict began with a workers’ strike in May that escalated into highway blockades that cut off access to the neighboring cities of La Paz and El Alto, which are home to some 2 million people.
(Reporting by Monica Machicao, Writing Iñigo Alexander, Editing by Natalia Siniawski)
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