LA PAZ, Bolivia, June 3 (UPI) -- Bolivians jammed the streets of the capital Friday denouncing the government, following efforts by the president to end the demonstrations.
Protests by indigenous groups and laborers against President Carlos Mesa and the government's handling of the gas industry also locked up several other cities.
Mesa attempted to end weeks of demonstrations by announcing late Thursday that the government would adopt several reforms and rewrite the constitution.
The president said the constitution would be overhauled in October and a national referendum held on whether to grant Bolivia's gas-rich provinces more autonomy, La Razon newspaper reported.
The gas issue has been a flashpoint in the troubled South American country for weeks, prompting protests that have crippled the capital and much of the country.
Last month, lawmakers approved a controversial bill drastically increasing taxes on foreign-owned oil and gas companies. Bolivia's political opposition and indigenous groups say the measure is insufficient and total nationalization of the industry is in the best interest of the Bolivian people.
Meanwhile, Bolivian television reports that Bolivian Economic Development Minister Walter Kreidler resigned Friday saying he hoped the government would soon come to terms with protesters to end the demonstrations.
