Bolivia Declares Emergency After 50-Day Blockades, Clearing Way for Military Deployment
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 20
Bolivia Declares Emergency After 50-Day Blockades, Clearing Way for Military Deployment
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 20
Summary
Rodrigo Paz put a state of emergency into immediate effect, giving Bolivia broader constitutional powers to send armed forces to clear road blockades and restore supplies.
Fifty days of protests have cut key highways, stranded trucks and choked deliveries of food, fuel and medicines, including into La Paz, bringing much of the economy to a halt.
Paz said Congress must be notified within 24 hours and has up to 72 hours to approve or reject the decree, while warning protesters who keep disrupting roads could face legal consequences.
A deal announced Friday with the main union, the COB, failed to end the crisis because rural groups aligned with former president Evo Morales were outside the talks and continue blocking roads around Cochabamba.
The unrest began after Paz cut long-standing fuel subsidies to shrink the deficit amid a dollar crunch and IMF talks, then widened into demands for wage hikes, relief from shortages and his resignation.