Bitter political fight in Bolivia is paralyzing the government as unrest boils over economic crisis

By CARLOS VALDEZ and ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Prices are surging in Bolivia, dollars are scarce and lines snake away from supply-strapped gas stations. Protests have intensified over the economy’s precipitous decline from one of South America’s fastest-growing two decades ago to one of its most crisis-stricken today. Bolivia’s financial quagmire stems, at least in part, from an unprecedented rift at the highest rungs of the governing party. President Luis Arce and his one-time ally, the leftist icon and ex-President Evo Morales, are battling for the future of Bolivia’s Movement for Socialism ahead of the presidential election in 2025. The political fight has paralyzed the government’s efforts to deal with the economic troubles.