Political climate is currently unstable

On 9 September 2008 opposition groups from Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija provinces stormed public offices and blocked roads to demand that President Evo Morales abandon a plan to hold a referendum on a new constitution. Protesters also want their regions to receive a greater share of state energy revenues. Protesters took control of a gas plant in the southern city of Villamontes, located approximately 560 mi/900 km southeast of La Paz in the Chaco area, but exports to Brazil and Argentina were not affected. In Santa Cruz, anti-government groups trying to take over a tax-collecting agency clashed with military police. In Tarija, protesters occupied an office belonging to the superintendent of hydrocarbons. In the province of Beni, the opposition occupied state telephone company offices and an airport. In some places, roadblocks have persisted for 17 days, causing fuel shortages. The opposition has threatened to shut off gas export routes to Brazil and Argentina.