Bolivia's president, Rodrigo Paz, made a forceful accusation against the governments of the Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS). According to preliminary investigations by the ministries, the possible economic damage to the State exceeds 15 billion dollars.
"So far, the figure for the possible theft is above 15 billion dollars. They've stolen part of the country's future", he declared at a press conference. He was even more direct: "This isn't a political issue. A handful of thieves took everything."
Paz thus echoed a logic that Javier Milei introduced in the region: being transparent about the economic situation before the population. "They left us with nothing in the coffers, there's no money, they spent all the money", he stated, marking a discursive break from MAS's economic narrative.
Paz assured that "there will be no impunity" and promised that every accusation will be backed by evidence. He also clarified that he won't resort to mechanisms of political persecution:
"We won't do what was done in the past. Everything will be backed up," he said.
A country on the verge of collapse
The accusation comes after the inauguration of the new right-wing president during Bolivia's worst economic moment in decades. In the first half of 2025, GDP fell by 2.4%, a figure not seen since the 1980s. International organizations project a recession until 2027.
The causes of the crisis are structural and accumulated:
- Depletion of gas, the main source of foreign currency.
- Collapse of exports and a drop in reserves.
- Widening exchange rate gap, which makes imports and fuels more expensive.
- High fiscal deficit and the persistence of a scheme of unsustainable subsidies.
To this is added the intermittent shortage of fuels and a chronic public spending that MAS maintained even during periods of declining revenues.
