Bolivian President Evo Morales marked 12 years in office on Monday and reeled out gains under his leftist government at the Legislative Assembly.
He addressed the Assembly saying the country was getting closer to gaining access to the Pacific Ocean
and that his government had never gone against the people, as it enters its 13th year in power.
Morales did not mention recent unrest in the country over controversial changes to the country’s penal code.
Demonstrators marched just blocks away, to continue to press the government to rescind the recent changes to the penal code that sparked two months of protests in the landlocked country.
The president had said he would seek a repeal of the measure which includes stricter penalties against criminal truck drivers and harsher medical malpractice liabilities.