By Reuters
LA PAZ, May 19 (Reuters) – Several Bolivian banks on Tuesday temporarily closed branches in the city of La Paz, citing security concerns as anti-government unrestescalates in the administrative capital, according to a Reuters witness.
The closures come as demonstrations from unions, miners, transport workers and rural groups have grown in recent weeks, pressing centrist President Rodrigo Paz to roll back austerity measures and address rising living costs.
Some protesters have called for the president’s resignation, reflecting a broader anti-government backlash.
Banks including Banco Nacional de Bolivia, Banco de Credito de Bolivia (BCP), Banco Economico and state lender Banco Union shuttered some branches in downtown La Paz over security concerns, re-directing customers to online banking services and ATMs.
Workers at five banks on Tuesday told Reuters that operations would not resume until protests had subsided.
Bolivia’s banking association, ASOBAN, declined to comment on the cause of the closures but said the banks were still partially operational.
The protests have also triggered widespread roadblocks, stranding trucks on highways and contributing to shortages of food, medical supplies and fuel.
Bolivia’s state energy company YPFB said on Monday blockades at its Senkata plant and several other roads nationwide had forced it to suspend shipments to affected areas.—Reuters
