Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a 90-day state of emergency and deployed the army and police nationwide to confront more than six weeks of disruptive protests. In a televised address early Saturday, he said the road blockades were no longer a social protest but an organized attempt to undermine democracy, adding that avoiding action was now “not prudence, but irresponsibility.” He warned that demonstrators who continue to paralyze the country will face legal consequences.
Security forces were sent into cities including El Alto, where they used troops, armed police and bulldozers to remove barricades made of stones, logs and debris. The government said some roadblocks were cleared and that life was gradually returning to normal. The emergency restricts the right to protest and allows a wider military deployment, including around the presidential palace in La Paz.
The unrest has involved unions, Indigenous groups and coca growers blocking major highways for more than 50 days. It has caused severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine in La Paz, El Alto and other cities, with economic losses in the billions of dollars and at least 14 deaths, including people unable to reach urgent medical care. Some residents supported reopening the roads, while protesters said they were fighting for their livelihoods and families.
Paz, who took office less than a year ago after ending nearly two decades of socialist rule linked to Evo Morales, blamed the crisis partly on Morales supporters and accused him and people he called “narco-terrorists” of being behind the blockades. Interior Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo did not rule out an operation to arrest Morales, who faces charges of trafficking a minor that he denies and is hiding in the Chapare region with support from Indigenous backers. The U.S. backed Paz’s move, while the main opposition party said it would support the emergency decree. The president also faces domestic criticism over his renewed ties with Israel, including restoring diplomatic relations and removing visa requirements for Israelis.
