Conflicts & War

Bolivia protests to continue until contentious law is formally repealed

La Paz, Nov 15 (EFE).- Protests continued Monday in Bolivia for an eighth straight day as part of an indefinite strike until parliament fulfills President Luis Arce’s promise to repeal a controversial law considered contrary to civil liberties.

In cities such as Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Potosi, Sucre and La Paz, merchants, transport sector workers and civilians continued protesting against a law that claims to combat illicit profits and the financing of extremism more than a week after they first began.

This came despite President Luis Arce announcing its repeal Saturday and sending parliament a draft bill due to be discussed Monday by the lower house and Tuesday by the Senate.

In Cochabamba, unions or informal merchants marched through the center of the city to make it clear that this conflict “is not solved with words but with signed papers,” Regional Representative Omar Rodriguez told EFE.

“It has been decided to continue in a state of emergency and in vigil,” Rodriguez said.

In Santa Cruz, the main political stronghold of the opposition and economic engine of the country, the strike has been maintained with a margin of time for the population to stock up on food and the request of some merchants to return to sales.

The Civic Committee of Santa Cruz decided Monday to continue pressuring the government until additional demands were met, such as the annulment of laws considered “cursed” and the restitution of two-thirds of the vote in parliamentary debates. EFE

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