Mine workers in Bolivia called a general strike Tuesday as the political crisis following last month's disputed national elections intensified, threatening to cut production in the nation, which is a major producer of several base and precious metals.
Leaders of the National Federation of Mineworkers will hold the strike in support of President Evo Morales, who claimed victory after the first rounding of voting October 20.
Also, workers from Bolivia's cooperative mining sector, a key ally of Morales, are holding a mass meeting in the city of El Alto in support of the government.
In 2017, the country produced 527,206 mt of zinc, 113,286 mt of lead, 18,385 mt of tin, 29.5 mt of gold and 1,222 mt of silver.
Widespread protests both for and against the government have gripped the landlocked country for the past three weeks, with protesters blocking key highways, isolating some regions and hindering trade.
Opponents of Morales have called for the longtime president to resign, claiming electoral fraud.
A spokeswoman for the Port of Arica in northern Chile, the main loading point for Bolivian seaborne exports, said traffic from Bolivia had fallen in recent days, but the company had not analyzed the decline in volumes.
