Economic turmoil in Bolivia fuels distrust in government and its claim of a 'failed coup'
Bolivians have been hit hard by economic turmoil in the small South American nation fueled by a longtime hyper-dependence on, and now shortage of, U.S. dollars
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Signs reading “I'm buying dollars” line the doors of Víctor Vargas’ shoe shop in the heart of Bolivia’s biggest city, a desperate attempt to keep his family business alive.
Just a few years ago, the 45-year-old Vargas would unlock the doors at 8 a.m. to a crush of customers already waiting to buy tennis shoes imported from China. Now, his shop sits hopelessly empty.
“Right now, we’re in a dreadful crisis,” he said. “No one buys anything anymore. … We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Bolivians like Vargas have been hit hard by economic turmoil in the small South American nation fueled by a longtime hyper-dependence on, and now shortage of, U.S. dollars.
The economic downturn has been exacerbated by an ongoing feud between President Luis Arce and his ally-turned-rival former President Evo Morales in the lead-up to next year's presidential election. Many Bolivians impacted by the crisis have lost trust in Arce, who denies the country is even in an economic crisis.
“Bolivia has an economy that’s growing. An economy in crisis doesn’t grow,” Arce told The Associated Press in an interview. That was contradicted by both economists and dozens of Bolivians.
That deep distrust came to a head on Wednesday following a spectacle which the government called a “failed coup d’etat” and opponents including Morales called a staged “self-coup” meant to earn the unpopular leader political points before elections.
Whether the coup attempt was real or not, most Bolivians who spoke to the AP said they no longer believe what their leader says, and say Arce would
Read more on abcnews.go.com
