Widespread protests in La Paz by unions, miners, transport workers and rural groups have forced several banks to temporarily close branches and pushed customers toward online services and ATMs. At least 32 roadblocks have stranded trucks and contributed to shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies, prompting YPFB to suspend some fuel shipments. Foreign diplomats, including U.S. Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau and European envoys, urged calm and dialogue as President Rodrigo Paz faces mounting pressure despite a 20% minimum wage increase and fiscal tightening. Authorities say they will announce measures to reopen supply routes to La Paz and El Alto.
Banks Close in La Paz Amid Widespread Protests; Diplomats Urge Calm
A demonstrator launches a firecracker during a march calling for the resignation of Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz, as the country's economic and fuel crisis worsens due to a shortage of U.S. dollars and falling domestic energy production, in La Paz, Bolivia May 18, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
LA PAZ, May 19 (Reuters) - Several banks in Bolivia's capital temporarily closed branches on Tuesday as escalating anti-government protests raised security concerns and foreign diplomats urged restraint. Demonstrations by unions, miners, transport workers and rural groups have swelled in recent weeks, pressing centrist President Rodrigo Paz to roll back austerity measures and ease rising living costs.
Some protesters have demanded Paz's resignation, part of a broader backlash against an administration that took office in November after nearly two decades of leftist rule. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he spoke with Paz and expressed deep concern.
Motorcylists ride past a closed branch of the Banco Ganadero bank, as several Bolivian banks temporarily closed branches due to ongoing unrest driven by anti-government demonstrations, in La Paz, Bolivia, May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
"Let there be no mistake: Those who lost overwhelmingly at the ballot box in Bolivia last year are trying to overthrow President Paz," Landau wrote.
The European Union delegation and five European embassies issued a joint statement calling for dialogue and peaceful demonstrations.
In downtown La Paz, lenders including Banco Nacional de Bolivia, Banco de Credito de Bolivia (BCP), Banco Economico and the state-owned Banco Union closed some branches, according to Reuters reporters and public notices. Banks redirected customers to online services and ATMs; staff at five banks said operations would not resume until protests subsided. Bolivia's banking association, ASOBAN, said banks remained partially operational but declined to give details on the closures.
Vendors stand outside of a closed branch of the Banco Union bank, as several Bolivian banks temporarily closed branches due to ongoing unrest driven by anti-government demonstrations, in La Paz, Bolivia, May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
Central La Paz was relatively calm on Tuesday morning, though groups of demonstrators were moving toward the area and a public-transport strike was reported in nearby El Alto. Police tightly controlled access to Plaza Murillo, the square that houses the presidential palace.
Protesters have set up widespread roadblocks, leaving trucks stranded and contributing to shortages of food, medical supplies and fuel. Authorities reported at least 32 blockades on Tuesday. Housekeeper Ana Uria said, "It's difficult to be in the city of La Paz. It's as if we were surrounded," citing shortages of vegetables and diesel.
A woman walks past a closed branch of the Mercantil Santa Cruz bank, as several Bolivian banks temporarily closed branches due to ongoing unrest driven by anti-government demonstrations, in La Paz, Bolivia, May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
At a primary-care clinic, doctor Jorge Hinojosa treated a woman injured in clashes, improvising a splint from cardboard and warning that blockades were preventing access to medicines and essential supplies. State energy company YPFB said blockades at its Senkata plant and on several roads had forced it to suspend fuel shipments to affected regions.
BOLIVIA UNREST TESTS NEW PRESIDENT PAZ
Paz inherited an economy under severe strain and has moved to cut spending and scale back fuel subsidies to stabilize public finances. He has also raised the minimum wage by 20% and increased some social benefits while seeking dialogue with opponents, but those measures have not quelled tensions.
People walk past a closed branch of the National Bank of Bolivia (BNB), as several Bolivian banks temporarily closed branches due to ongoing unrest driven by anti-government demonstrations, in La Paz, Bolivia, May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
Authorities have accused allies of former president Evo Morales of encouraging the blockades; government spokesperson Jose Luis Galvez said violent groups were trying to undermine democracy. Economist Gonzalo Chavez said the unrest reflects deeper structural strains and described it as Bolivia's worst economic crisis in a generation. Analysts also point to global energy shocks tied to the Iran war as adding pressure on households in the landlocked country, which increasingly depends on imported fuel.
Officials said they expect to announce measures this week to allow supplies into La Paz and El Alto and ease shortages.
(Reporting by Daniel Ramos, Sergio Limachi and Santiago Limachi in La Paz, Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo; additional reporting by Monica Machiaco in La Paz, Andrea Shalal in Washington and Cesar Olmedo in Asuncion; editing by Daina Beth Solomon, Alexandra Hudson and Stephen Coates)
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