Overview
- Lawmakers passed and President Rodrigo Paz signed the emergency-powers measure on Monday that authorizes the president to declare states of emergency and use the armed forces to reopen blocked highways.
- The law does not automatically send troops onto roads; Paz must issue an executive declaration specifying where and for how long military operations will apply.
- Weeks of multi-sector strikes and about 100 roadblocks have choked supply lines, producing shortages of food, fuel, medicine and medical oxygen and straining hospitals and markets.
- Clashes between protesters and security forces have wounded officers and civilians, and rights groups and opposition lawmakers warn that deploying soldiers risks escalating violence and limiting accountability.
- Paz has accused 'narcoterrorists' and supporters of former president Evo Morales of trying to destabilize the government, claims reported in some commentary but not independently proven, while international actors including U.S. officials and the Shield of the Americas have publicly backed Paz.