LA PAZ (VGMG) — Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a national state of emergency on Saturday as protests demanding his resignation have continued to block roads across the country for 50 consecutive days, severely disrupting the supply of food, fuel, and medicine.
In a televised address to the nation, Paz said he had ordered the emergency measure to “unblock the roads” and restore normalcy. “This is not about taking away normalcy, but about restoring it,” he said. “What is happening now is an attempted coup that is affecting every sector of the country.”
The state of emergency grants the president expanded constitutional powers, including the authority to deploy armed forces to clear road blockades. The decree took effect immediately, though Paz must notify Congress within 24 hours, and legislators have up to 72 hours to approve or reject the measure.
The protests began in early May after Paz announced a series of sweeping economic reforms, including controversial cuts to fuel subsidies, amid a worsening dollar shortage and deepening economic crisis. While the government later reversed some measures and offered concessions, demands have escalated, with demonstrators now calling for the president’s outright resignation.
“Our demand is for the president to resign because he cannot solve the country’s structural problems,” said Argollo, a union leader with the Bolivian Workers’ Confederation (COB). “He is mortgaging the future of our children.”
The blockades have created severe supply chain disruptions across the Andean nation. In La Paz and other major cities, shortages of basic goods have become increasingly acute. Truck drivers have been stranded on blocked highways for days, unable to transport essential supplies.
At least 14 people have died during the protests, according to local media reports. Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the use of force by security personnel in attempts to clear the blockades.
The crisis has its roots in a complex mix of economic hardship and political confrontation. Protesters represent a formidable coalition of groups, including rural indigenous communities linked to former President Evo Morales, teachers demanding wage increases, and citizens affected by contaminated fuel that has damaged thousands of vehicles.
Hours before announcing the emergency, Paz had reached a tentative agreement with the COB in an attempt to ease tensions. However, the deal did not include all protest factions, and road blockades in the country’s agricultural heartland continued unabated.
Following the declaration, security forces began operations to clear major highways. In El Alto, the sprawling indigenous stronghold near La Paz, dozens of police vehicles and trucks were deployed to remove barricades from a key artery connecting the capital to the rest of the country.
VGMG