Bolivia considers diesel decree changes amid producer pressure

The Bolivian government is considering modifying or repealing Supreme Decree 5676, which increased the price of diesel fuel to 18 Bolivianos per liter for large consumers. This potential change comes after producers in Yapacaní agreed to suspend a road blockade, giving the government 48 hours to address their concerns.

Vice Minister of Interior and Police Hernán Paredes acknowledged that the decree contained a "small error" and did not achieve its intended objective. He stated that the measure "cannot remain as it is." This marks the third instance where the executive branch has backtracked on a controversial norm due to public pressure.

The government faces a critical decision: uphold the decree, risking increased costs for food producers, or revise it. A negotiation in Yapacaní resulted in an agreement where Paredes would present a report to the cabinet within 48 hours, requesting the "annulment" of the decree. The producers, in turn, suspended their immediate threat of blocking the Santa Cruz-Cochabamba highway but remain on alert until the repeal is officially published.

Paredes explained that the original intent was for small producers to retain access to subsidized fuel, while large consumers like gold miners and agro-industrial companies would import fuel at international prices. He admitted a "small error" in the decree's design, which he believes led to implementation issues. The Minister of Defense, Ernesto Justiniano, meanwhile, emphasized that while protests are a right, blocking roads and disrupting critical infrastructure is not permitted under the current state of exception.