Bolivians rally for the government

Thousands of supporters of Bolivia's beleaguered president massed on plazas in major cities across the country Thursday, answering his call to oppose recent road blockades orchestrated by critics whose campaign against President Carlos Mesa's economic policies prompted him to offer his resignation.

In the capital, some 7,000 people rallied at a plaza fronting the president's working offices, chanting "Bo-li-via! Bo-li-via!" and "No to road blockades!"

The outpouring of support for the embattled leader came after Mesa's 17-month-old government on Tuesday won critical congressional support amid a wave of street protests by labor and indigenous groups whose opposition to his economic policies have largely crippled the country in recent weeks.

Indian men and women in traditional dress stood alongside middle-class Bolivians in suits, staging simultaneous, but smaller demonstrations in the major cities of Cochabamba, Potosi and Sucre.

The pro-government rallies came after Mesa on Sunday tendered his resignation to Congress, saying the street protests had rendered Bolivia "ungovernable." Lawmakers on Tuesday voted to refuse his offer, fearing it could unleash deeper political turmoil.

One demonstrator shouting pro-government slogans, Andrea Ramirez, waved a white flag and said she had grown weary of street tensions that have rattled South America's poorest country.

"We need to unify around Mesa," she said. "I want a stable Bolivia, one where I can get to work on time. It's time we said `enough'."

Mesa addressed the crowd from a balcony, saying the turnout was proof of growing public anger over the measures used by his opponents.

"The country has had the patience to withstand the pressure of a few, but today it is saying let's end the blockades in Bolivia," he said, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Mesa, a former historian, has battled labor and indigenous groups demanding he revise controversial oil and gas legislation to increase the taxes foreign companies pay as a way to generate new revenue for the country.