Bolivia faces renewed protest threats as government adds 6,867 budget items

Senator José Sánchez of Bolivia’s Alianza Libre warned that the re‑formulated 2026 General State Budget (PGE) retains the same structure as the previous administration and could trigger a new wave of social conflicts in October. He called for judicial proceedings against those who led more than 50 days of blockades, naming COB leader Mario Argollo, former president Evo Morales and other social leaders, and demanded compensation for economic losses in La Paz, El Alto, Oruro and other regions. He said, “Prevemos que en el mes de octubre se reiniciarán estos reclamos…”.

The government announced the creation of 6,867 new budget items for education, health, police and the armed forces as part of the same PGE reform. The plan adds 3,000 items for education, 2,355 for health and 1,512 for security forces, financed by cuts to central‑administrative spending. It aims to reduce the teacher deficit in rural schools, maintain social benefits, avoid tax hikes and target a fiscal deficit of 9.2% of GDP with a fiscal adjustment of more than six percentage points.