Bolivia’s legislature has passed a law granting embattled President Rodrigo Paz the authority to use military troops to clear roadblocks set up by protesters, as the country enters its fifth week of nationwide anti-government demonstrations. The law was passed in Bolivia’s Chamber of Deputies on Sunday, following an overnight debate, and was signed into law by Paz on Monday, local authorities reported.
Sunday’s vote in the Chamber of Deputies did not itself order troops onto the roads. Rather, the Chamber approved the broader Law Regulating States of Exception, after the Senate had already passed it. The law gives the president a framework to declare an emergency and deploy the armed forces in operations intended to re-open highways and restore the movement of food, fuel and medical supplies.
However, Sunday’s measure itself does not automatically send troops onto the roads. Under the law, Paz must first issue an executive declaration specifying where the emergency measures will apply and how long they will remain in force.
The measure follows an earlier law, signed by Paz on May 27, that removed restrictions on the military’s involvement in putting down domestic unrest. The two measures are considered complementary to each other, working jointly to significantly expand the government’s ability to involve the armed forces in confronting protesters.
Roughly 100 roadblocks have been set up across the country in recent weeks by anti-government protesters, with authorities claiming that the road blockades have led to food and medicine shortages. The protests, which began in early May as labor strikes, have since expanded to include miners, teachers, transport workers, rural organizations, and Indigenous groups. Protesters have denounced government austerity measures, fuel shortages, and rising living costs, with certain factions calling for Paz’s resignation.
Paz, who took office in November, has defended his economic policies as “necessary” to stabilize the country’s economic prosperity and overall well-being.
Critics of the new law warn that using soldiers against civilian protesters could increase the risk of serious violence. Opposition lawmakers and human-rights advocates have questioned whether military personnel are appropriately trained to manage demonstrations without escalating them further, and have raised concerns about accountability for abuses during emergency operations. Supporters of the law, however, argue that the state has an obligation to protect residents who are unable to obtain food, medicine, or fuel. Protest leaders, however, say that the government is treating a political and economic crisis as a security problem instead of addressing its underlying causes.
The next step will depend on whether Paz formally invokes the new powers, and how his government chooses to apply them. Any deployment would test whether the measure can restore access to blocked roads while avoiding further disruption and preserving space for a political resolution to the protests.
