Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz announced on Monday that he will cut his own salary and those of his cabinet ministers by half, as the country enters its fourth week of political and social unrest marked by protests and roadblocks demanding his resignation.

Speaking at an event in Sucre, the constitutional capital, Paz said the pay cuts demonstrate the government's "commitment to the country." The move comes amid growing supply-chain issues in the cities of La Paz and El Alto, where severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine are hitting markets, hospitals and gas stations.

Protesters are pressing Paz's centrist government to roll back austerity measures and address rising living costs. Demands range from increasing wages to restoring a fuel subsidy that had kept prices at 2006 levels. The protests also reflect concerns that the president is aligned with big business and elites, as he did not appoint any Indigenous or working-class people to his cabinet.

Paz, who took office in November and inherited an economy in turmoil, has defended spending cuts and fuel subsidy reductions as necessary to stabilize public finances. The crisis shows no signs of abating, with roadblocks continuing to disrupt supplies and daily life.

Source: www.aljazeera.com