Bolivian Senator Nilton Condori Accuses Tupac Katari Leader of Government Payments

Senator Nilton Condori asserted that the government gave monthly payments of 50,000 bolivianos to Vicente Salazar, the departmental executive of the Tupac Katari peasant federation in La Paz, and later increased the amount to 100,000 bolivianos. Condori linked these payments to Salazar’s decision to declare a fourth intermediate phase in road blockades after more than 50 days of protests, suggesting the funds influenced the timing of the blockade lift.

Severo Marca, another leader of the Tupac Katari federation, responded by demanding that Condori provide proof of the alleged payments, warning that unsubstantiated claims would constitute defamation. Marca emphasized that the accusations needed evidence and criticized the senator for publicly blaming the federation’s leadership without verification. Both statements were made amid ongoing tensions over the protests that aimed to force the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.