Bolivia declares state of emergency to clear anti-government roadblocks

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency on Saturday, deploying troops and heavy machinery to dismantle anti-government roadblocks that have crippled the nation for more than six weeks. The president warned protesters they would face "the full force of the law" as the crisis intensified.

Unions, Indigenous groups, and coca farmers have been blocking roads across the country with rubble and logs since late March. These demonstrations have led to severe shortages of fuel, food, and medicine in major cities, inflicting billions of dollars in economic losses. The protests have also threatened the stability of Bolivia's first non-socialist government in two decades.

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I'm very happy. Everything has been difficult here in El Alto during these 50-some days -- work, free movement.

In a predawn televised address, Paz announced a 90-day state of emergency, which restricts the right to protest and authorizes domestic military deployment. Hours later, in El Alto, soldiers and armed police, accompanied by bulldozers, began clearing the blockades, drawing applause from some residents weary of the disruption. "I'm very happy," said Carla Butron, a 39-year-old shopkeeper. "Everything has been difficult here in El Alto during these 50-some days -- work, free movement."

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Bolivians cannot continue to be held hostage by blockades that prevent them from working, studying, receiving medical care, getting supplies and bringing food to their homes. This state of emergency is not intended to take away normalcy, but to restore it.

Protesters are demanding that Paz abandon his liberal economic reforms and resign, despite being elected less than a year ago. While Paz had previously signaled a willingness to negotiate and reached a deal with one major union to end protests in exchange for a promise not to privatize state companies, some Indigenous groups have vowed to continue their actions. More than 40 major roadblocks reportedly remain active.

Paz has accused "narcoterrorists," particularly former president Evo Morales, of orchestrating the road blockades. Morales, a prominent leftist figure and former coca farmer, previously served as president.

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We want him gone. We don't want him to be the one governing.