Overview
- President Rodrigo Paz warned the crisis 'approaches the point of rupture' on Wednesday, May 27, after Parliament removed a rule that had limited his ability to declare a state of emergency.
- Protests that began over an economic collapse have evolved into calls for Paz’s resignation and continued large road blockades led by peasants, miners and transport workers, with thousands marching in La Paz.
- The blockades have caused acute shortages of food, medicine and fuel and, according to the government, have cost the economy about $600 million in a country where inflation is near 15%.
- The government accuses former president Evo Morales of fueling the unrest while Morales, based in his Chapare stronghold and facing legal actions, demands fresh elections within 90 days.
- With the new legal authority to use the armed forces and restrict assembly, the situation is highly polarized and fluid, and the main things to watch are any military deployments, shifts in blockade intensity, and impacts on civilian access to essentials.