He came to office vowing to be a standard bearer for the dispossessed and excluded of one of South America's poorest nations. "The people are finally in power," Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, declared after his historic 2005 election victory.
But, nearly six years on, much of that hope has turned to recrimination as one-time supporters question Morales's true commitment and fears grow that social and environmental issues are taking a back seat to economic growth.
This week, more than 1,000 protesters are expected to arrive in Bolivia's main city, La Paz, to rally against plans for a controversial Amazon road through indigenous lands and voice concern that Morales, an Aymara Indian, is turning his back on the indigenous cause.
"Although Evo is of indigenous descent and was a peasant, he has not been willing to come to [meet us on] the march despite the fact we have been marching for more than 50 days," Rodolfo Lopez, one of the protest's leaders, said.