LA PAZ — Road blockades led by the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB), peasant unions and miners have entered a second week across Bolivia, emptying markets in La Paz. Supporters of former President Evo Morales clashed with police in La Paz on Monday as multiple sectors demanded the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.

The blockades have expanded to engulf nearly the entire country, depleting hospital oxygen reserves in La Paz. At least three people died after emergency vehicles were blocked from reaching medical centers, the government reported. Business organizations estimated that the protests are draining more than $50 million per day from Bolivia's economy and have left roughly 5,000 vehicles stranded on highways.

The COB demanded wage increases, while peasant unions called for a steady supply of gasoline. Miners are negotiating separately for access to additional mining areas, and public schoolteachers are holding separate talks regarding salary improvements.

Paz warned on Friday: "Those seeking to destroy democracy will go to jail." He took office less than six months ago after a surprise electoral victory, and he has reiterated that he inherited a bankrupt state with fuel shortages and an inflation rate near 20% last year. Paz ended fuel subsidies, a measure that raised the prices of gasoline and diesel but did not trigger protests at the time. The government later imported low-quality gasoline.

Presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez addressed the union demands. "These demands have been largely addressed in a manner consistent with current realities; however, there are dark forces seeking to destabilize our democracy," Gálvez said.

Morales marshaled the latest march from his hideout in Bolivia's remote tropics, where he has been present for the past year and a half. "The government and the right wing claim that I am a political corpse and that I lack the ability to mobilize anyone, yet they continue to blame me," Morales said on X. He added: "As long as structural demands — such as those concerning fuel, food and inflation — remain unaddressed, the uprising will not be quelled."

Paz lacks both a legislative majority and a robust political party to anchor his administration, and he is locked in an open feud with his vice president, Edman Lara. The Christian Democratic Party fractured within the legislature following the collapse of the MAS era, which governed Bolivia for two decades under Morales and Luis Arce before a historic defeat in last year's elections.

Eight allied Latin American governments, from Chile to Costa Rica, released a joint statement rejecting any action aimed at destabilizing the democratic order. Argentina said it would start a weeklong humanitarian airlift to alleviate shortages in Bolivia. The U.S. said it supported Paz's efforts "to restore order for the peace, security and stability of the Bolivian people," and the U.S. State Department issued an alert urging American citizens traveling to Bolivia to be vigilant.