• President Rodrigo Paz announces a **50% salary cut** for himself and cabinet ministers.
• The decision is a response to **growing protests** and social unrest across Bolivia.
• Protesters demand resignation, salary increases, and stable fuel supplies, amidst food and medicine shortages.

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has announced a **50% reduction** in his salary and that of his cabinet ministers to demonstrate their "commitment to the country" amid escalating civil unrest. This decision was made during a formal ceremony in Sucre, marking the fourth week of protests which have severely disrupted supply chains in cities like La Paz and El Alto, where shortages of food, fuel, and medicine are rampant, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The demonstrations, which began earlier in May when trade unions started advocating for better economic conditions, have intensified, with protesters demanding not only his resignation but also the restoration of fuel subsidies and wage increases. Paz, who took office in November, has defended various austerity measures as necessary for stabilizing the economy, yet has faced criticism for his cabinet's lack of representation from indigenous and working-class communities, according to South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera.

Despite the *salary cuts*, which Paz described as a gesture of goodwill, protests continued with significant clashes reported in La Paz where demonstrators confronted police. Thousands chanting demands for his resignation have blocked roads, exacerbating shortages and tensions, a situation characterized by conflict between police and protesters armed with stones, according to Reuters and South China Morning Post.