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Bolivian leader to slash own salary by 50% in gesture to protesters

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz said on Monday he would slash his salary by 50 per cent to try to end weeks of anti-government protests.
But the…

By Samantha Johnson / May 25, 2026

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz said on Monday he would slash his salary by 50 per cent to try to end weeks of anti-government protests.

But the announcement by the centre-right leader fell on deaf ears, with protesters calling for his resignation and clashing again with police in the Andean city of La Paz.

The US-backed Paz has made various gestures aimed at ending a popular revolt that has exploded just six months into his presidency.

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The demonstrations have radicalised since trade unions began protesting in early May for salary increases, stable fuel supplies and sounder economic management.

Speaking in the southeastern city of Sucre, the president said he had decided “as part of his efforts and commitment to the country, to reduce his salary by 50 per cent”.

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His monthly salary is currently set at around 24,000 bolivianos (US$3,500), one of the lowest of any Latin American leader but about eight times that of the average Bolivian, according to 2024 statistics from the International Labour Organization.

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