Bolivian leader to slash own salary by half in gesture to protesters
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Protesters clash with members of the Bolivian police during a protest calling for the resignation of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz in La Paz, on May 25.
PHOTO: EPA
LA PAZ - Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz said on May 25 he would slash his salary by 50 per cent to try to end weeks of anti-government protests.
But the announcement by the centre-right leader fell on deaf ears, with protesters calling for his resignation and clashing again with police in the Andean city of La Paz.
The US-backed Paz has made various gestures aimed at ending a popular revolt that has exploded just six months into his presidency.
The demonstrations have radicalised since trade unions began protesting in early May for salary increases, stable fuel supplies and sounder economic management.
Speaking in the south-eastern city of Sucre, the president said he had decided “as part of his efforts and commitment to the country, to reduce his salary by 50 per cent.”
His monthly salary is currently set at around 24,000 bolivianos (S$4,359), one of the lowest of any Latin American leader but about eight times that of the average Bolivian, according to 2024 statistics from the International Labor Organization.
The gesture failed, however, to appease the protesters, who have been blocking roads leading to the political capital La Paz for nearly a month, causing acute shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
On May 25, the police again clashed with protesters after thousands of miners, farmers, factory workers and other groups marched through the city for the third time in a week.
“What do we want? For him to resign! When? Now!” the demonstrators shouted as they marched down the mountain to central La Paz from the predominantly Indigenous neighbouring city of El Alto.
The rioting began when the protesters attempted to break through police lines near Parliament.
The police responded with tear gas.
Humanitarian corridor
Mr Paz’s previous attempts at outreach, including his firing of an unpopular labour minister and promises to give trade unions and Indigenous groups more of a say in policy-making, failed to take the heat out of the protests.
Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz previous attempts at outreach have failed to take the heat out of the protests.
PHOTO: REUTERS
On May 23, police attempting to clear a “humanitarian corridor” through roadblocks leading to La Paz clashed for hours with demonstrators armed with stones and sticks.
On May 25, Mr Paz, a trained economist from a political family, again appealed for dialogue with organizations representing the protesters while denouncing demonstrators who resorted to violence.
His election in 2025 marked an end to two decades of socialism launched in the mid-2000s by Mr Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first Indigenous leader.
Since coming to power, 58-year-old Paz has attempted to tackle the root cause of the economic crisis – a shortage of currency caused by generous fuel subsidies – but has failed to stabilise fuel supplies or end surging inflation.
Mr Morales, who made a failed comeback bid in 2025 despite being wanted by police on charges of trafficking a minor, on May 24 called for Mr Paz to hold new elections within 90 days.
The United States has, however, expressed strong support for the president. AFP
