The Bolivian Legislative Assembly approved in the early hours of Thursday, the 17th, the 90-day extension of the state of exception, at the request of President Rodrigo Paz, amid rising social discontent and fear of new conflicts.
In the session, which began on Wednesday afternoon, the Defense Minister, Ernesto Justiniano, and the Minister of Government, Marco Antonio Oviedo, defended extending the measure until the second week of December. They cited as reference the demonstrations that lasted more than 50 days, between May and June, which, according to the government, mainly suffocated La Paz and the neighboring El Alto.
In June, during those protests, Paz decreed a 90-day state of exception that prohibited roadblocks and street blockades and authorized the Armed Forces to temporarily support the police to “restore order, clear the roads and protect the population.”
Speaking to the plenary, Oviedo warned of a possible orchestrated resumption of blockades, marches, stoppages, and gatherings, with a risk of affecting sectors considered strategic, such as fuels, food, medicines, oxygen and critical infrastructure.
Despite the state of exception, the protests continued. In the center of the country, coca leaf producers and peasants held recent marches, while teachers and the elderly protested, demanding a quick solution to the economic crisis.
The business sector pressured for the extension and even argued for the approval of a law against road blockades. In Santa Cruz, a region pointed to as the country’s economic engine, the local legislative assembly approved a norm against blockades in its jurisdiction.
In addition to concerns about protests, the government also highlights criminal violence on drug-trafficking routes near the border with Brazil. Recently, after the recording of four murders in a little over 24 hours, the government ordered the militarization of an area near the border.
Content translated with the aid of Artificial Intelligence, reviewed and edited by the Broadcast Editorial Desk (the real-time news system of Grupo Estado).
