Bolivia’s defense minister resigns amid weeks of mass protests

Bolivia's Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas resigned on Tuesday after a month of anti-government protests that have blocked roads and cut off access to major cities, a ministry source confirmed to Reuters. The departure marks the highest-level exit from President Rodrigo Paz's government since unrest engulfed the country in early May.reuters+1

A Government Under Siege

A second government source told Reuters that Ernesto Justiniano, previously serving as Vice Minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances, has been tapped to replace Salinas. The appointment elevates an official who had been central to restoring U.S. counternarcotics cooperation with Bolivia under the Paz administration.usnews+2

The protests, led by labor unions and groups loyal to former leftist President Evo Morales, have strangled supply chains and demanded the resignation of Paz, who assumed office in November 2025, ending nearly two decades of leftist rule. Demonstrators want the government to roll back austerity measures and address rising costs of food, fuel, and medicine.devdiscourse+2

Crisis Deepens Across Bolivia

What began as a workers' strike in May escalated into highway blockades that cut off access to La Paz and El Alto, neighboring cities home to some 2 million people. The disruptions have caused shortages of essential goods, reduced hospital oxygen supplies, and driven up prices across the country. As of late May, at least seven people had been killed and 120 arrested in connection with the unrest.wikipedia+4

Last week, Bolivia's Congress voted to facilitate Paz's ability to declare a state of emergency and deploy the military to restore calm, a step some opposition legislators warned could escalate tensions. Economic losses from the protests have been estimated at more than $50 million daily.bbc+1

Standoff Continues

Despite earlier concessions — including Paz's decision to annul a contested land mortgage law and cut his own salary by 50 percent — protesters have shown no signs of relenting. The Bolivian Workers' Central (COB), peasant unions, and miners remain mobilized, with their demands expanding beyond the initial triggers to include higher wages, labor reform, and Paz's resignation. President Paz warned last week that the country is "at a breaking point," cautioning that protesters who refuse dialogue "will be punished by the law".reuters+5