Friday, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz was forced to part ways with his Economy Minister, censured by Parliament, a new setback for the center-right leader in a country facing its worst economic crisis in four decades.
José Gabriel Espinoza was dismissed, according to a presidential decree published in the Official Journal, after being censured by Parliament on Tuesday for not having appeared before lawmakers to answer for his management.
Mr. Espinoza was to explain in particular about the issuance of sovereign bonds and the delays in drafting the state budget. He had indicated that he could not appear before the lawmakers due to a move to Santa Cruz, in the east of the country, then to Brazil.
On the same day, his censure was voted by 91 of the 129 parliamentarians present, out of a total of 166.
The government initially refused to dismiss him. The Parliament’s decision was challenged before the Constitutional Court, the government arguing that the necessary two-thirds majority had not been reached.
The Minister of Sustainable Production, Environment and Water, Oscar Mario Justiniano Pinto, was named provisionally to replace Mr. Espinoza.
This dismissal comes a few days after the arrest of Mr. Paz’s personal adviser, Argentine Fernando Cerimedo, accused by his ex-partner of having planned an armed attack against her.
