Thousands march in support of Bolivia's Morales

By Eduardo Garcia

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Bolivian leader Evo Morales marched through the streets of La Paz on Wednesday shouting slogans against the opposition, days after Morales' foes called for "civil disobedience" in the regions they govern.

The march of mostly Aymara Indians from the city of El Alto -- a Morales stronghold near Bolivia's administrative capital La Paz -- came as the leftist leader faces increasing pressure from the rightist opposition against his mining and land reforms.

Morales, the South American country's first president of indigenous descent, controls the central government but the opposition rules in five of Bolivia's nine provinces, and they demand more autonomy and a larger share of state revenue.

Earlier this week, opposition leaders called for "civil disobedience" in the regions they govern, and Morales responded by calling them "seditious."

The conservative opposition also controls the Senate, which Morales has accused of blocking nearly a hundred bills approved by the lower chamber, where his party enjoys a comfortable majority.

"We're annoyed because opposition senators are not working and just spend their time doing things against the interests of the most needy," protest leader Jorge Choque was quoted as saying by state-run news agency ABI.

Wednesday's protest comes after weeks of civil unrest in the southern city of Sucre, the seat of an elected assembly charged with overhauling the constitution.

Locals want the assembly to make Sucre the country's full capital -- it is currently the constitutional capital and home to the top court -- which would mean moving all government offices and Congress to Sucre from Morales stronghold La Paz.