Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency on Saturday after more than 50 days of protests and road blockades paralyzed large parts of the country and left at least 14 people dead. The measure gives the government broader authority to deploy police and the military to clear blockades and restore deliveries of food, fuel and medicine to affected areas.
In an early morning address to the nation, Paz said the anti-government blockades were no longer a legitimate social protest but “an organized attempt to undermine democracy in Bolivia.” He added, “There comes a time when avoiding action stops being caution and becomes irresponsibility, and that time has come.” Paz said the emergency was intended to protect civilians, keep essential goods moving, and free the country from groups using political conflict to block roads and harm the population. He warned that those who continue disrupting public order could face legal consequences.
The protests began in late April and involve miners, farmers, Indigenous organizations and other groups. Their demands include the restoration of fuel subsidies, the reversal of austerity measures, wage increases, relief from fuel and dollar shortages, and in many cases Paz’s resignation. Some of the anger has also targeted constitutional changes promoted by the president, which he says are meant to open the economy to private investment, while critics say they could weaken oversight of natural resources and other key sectors.
The crisis began after Paz sharply cut long-standing fuel subsidies to reduce the deficit, amid a worsening dollar shortage and talks with the International Monetary Fund. The first demonstrations were triggered by his land reform proposal, which critics said would favor large landowners. Paz later scrapped that reform and took steps to stabilize fuel prices, but the unrest spread, especially in La Paz, El Alto and Cochabamba, where Moralez-aligned groups kept blocking major transport routes. On Saturday, police and army units began clearing several blockades; Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano said order was returning in some areas and the government remained open to dialogue.
The emergency will take effect immediately, but Paz must notify Congress within 24 hours, and lawmakers have 72 hours to approve or reject it. The bill’s biggest opposition bloc, Alianza Libre, said it would support the move, though one lawmaker, Lisa Claros, said it came too late after lives had already been lost. Other opposition figures, legal experts and commentators warned that the decree could deepen tensions if it lacks broad public backing and does not address the roots of the unrest. Paz, elected in October and in office for seven months after nearly two decades of rule by Evo Morales’s Movement Toward Socialism, blames Morales for fueling the turmoil. Morales denied this week that he organized the protests, calling them an Indigenous uprising driven by economic hardship. The U.S. State Department said Saturday that Washington fully supports Paz’s decision to restore order and keep essential supplies flowing.
