Sawt Falasteen - Morales issues Bolivian president 24-hour ultimatum to shake up cabinet

The group of mainly Indigenous Bolivians arrived on the outskirts of La Paz at the end of a weeklong, nearly-200-kilometer (124-mile) "March to save Bolivia," which was marked by clashes with Arce supporters.

Addressing the crowd, Morales, who led the march from the western village of Caracollo, declared that Bolivians had had "enough of betrayal and above all enough of corruption, protection of drug trafficking and economic mismanagement."

Issuing an ultimatum to his former economy minister Arce, he said: "If Lucho wants to continue governing, first, in 24 hours he should change the drugs ministers, corrupt ministers and racist ministers."

Lucho is Arce's nickname.

Morales also gave the government 24 hours to resolve the country's chronic fuel shortage, adding that in the absence of a solution, "the mobilizations will continue."

Morales, a former coca grower who rose to become Bolivia's first Indigenous president in 2006, was extremely popular until he tried to bypass the constitution to seek a fourth term.

He went on to claim victory in a 2019 election marked by allegations of fraud but was forced to resign after losing the support of the military.

With his eye on a comeback he has stirred up large protests against the government that he helped elect.

Over the course of the march from Caracollo his supporters clashed twice with Arce supporters in unrest that left 34 people injured, according to the authorities.

He and Arce are vying for the presidential nomination of the ruling MAS party ahead of elections set for August 2025.

Arce has accused Morales, whom he served for 13 years in the economy portfolio, of plotting to overthrow him.

On Sunday, he said in a televised message that he would not grant Morales "the pleasure of a civil war."

As the pro-Morales protesters were advancing towards La Paz, police in the city cordoned off government buildings and Arce supporters started to gather on the streets to defend the government.

"We came to defend democracy so that our brother president can fulfill his mandate. We do not want him to be harmed," Arce backer Lourdes Calizaya told AFP.

Bolivia, a country rich in gas and lithium -- key for electric battery manufacturing -- has been battling fuel and dollar shortages since last year.

In response to a drop in gas sales abroad, coupled with a decline in production due to a lack of investment nationally, the country reduced imports of the fuel it subsidizes for domestic consumers.

Arce has been using international reserves to maintain subsidies, which in turn has led to a dollar shortage and the devaluation of the Bolivian peso.

T.Samara--SF-PST