Since noon, parliamentarians have been discussing four proposals to regulate states of exception in the country, although they will give priority to the project sent by President Rodrigo Paz. The day before, the president of the Andean country assured that he seeks to establish a legal framework so that the Armed Forces and the Police can act in scenarios of internal commotion under "humanitarian" criteria. This in the midst of the almost month-long crisis due to road blockades.

First modification: 06/04/2026 - 21:04 Last modification: 06/04/2026 - 21:12

The Bolivian Congress debates this Thursday, June 4, on the implementation of a regulation for a state of exception in the country, in the midst of the crisis caused by almost a month of road blockades by protesters calling for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.

In this context, with at least ten deaths and supply problems in several regions of the country, the Bolivian Government last week eliminated legal restrictions that limited military intervention in matters of internal security, more precisely to respond to protests and riots.

Now, the Executive is promoting a project so that, in the event of needing to declare a state of emergency, there is a regulation based, as he noted, on "humanitarian" criteria and guided by the principles of proportionality in the response of the security forces.

The government text is the one that the Senate will deal with as a priority, despite the fact that four alternatives were presented. However, the Peace Administration withdrew the text initially presented this morning and replaced it with a new one, which was sent to a commission to be analyzed by legislators, according to local media reports.

On Wednesday, June 3, Rodrigo Paz indicated that the project seeks to facilitate "humanitarian action" and establish a legal framework under which the Armed Forces and the Police can intervene in situations of internal commotion to guarantee, above all, the distribution of food, fuel, medicines and patients.

For his part, the Vice Minister of the Interior Regime, Hernán Paredes, indicated that the initiative is protected by the constitutional framework and maintained that "they are not exceptional measures like those that were had in periods of dictatorship or even in democratic periods, where the objective was to punish the population, it was to imprison."

"Here the main objective is to provide humanitarian relief," he assured, in the midst of a crisis that, according to President Paz, most seriously affects the cities of La Paz and El Alto.

The initial purpose of the senators, according to the newspaper El Deber, was to give their approval to the project this Thursday to allow the Chamber of Deputies to debate and approve it on Friday. It remains to be seen whether the modification of the text sent by the Government causes any delay in the legislative treatment.

Read alsoPaz prepares the ground for the state of exception while Bolivia registers 10 deaths due to blockades

The Government keeps the door open to dialogue

Beyond preparing the ground for an eventual state of exception, Paz reiterated on Wednesday his call for dialogue with the social organizations that are leading the blockades. And his spokesperson highlighted the openness expressed by the main entity behind the protests, the Federation of Peasants of La Paz Tupac Katari, although it is not clear if they will hold a meeting with the president.

In this dialogue position, the president showed a rapprochement with his vice president Edman Lara, with whom he met after having distanced themselves practically from the beginning of both of their mandates.

After the meeting, Lara said that the president assured "that he will exhaust all avenues" for dialogue "before going to a state of exception." He also noted that the Government sent a response to Tupac Katari's demands – which asks, among other things, for the release of imprisoned protesters – although its terms were not disclosed.

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"We are firm, both the Executive and the Legislative, in the defense of the Constitution and democracy. We are going to continue building the bridge so that the sectors sit down to dialogue and that dialogue is the way in which this conflict is resolved and the country is pacified," added Lara.

Along the same lines, Senator Pedro Sánchez pointed out to 'El Deber' that the treatment of the state of emergency law in Congress does not seek to accelerate its implementation, but rather is a "prevention measure" while prioritizing a peaceful solution to the crisis.

However, political and business sectors and even social organizations that do not support the blockades have increased pressure on Paz, urging him to declare a state of exception, especially in the Andean zone, considering that the space for dialogue has already been exhausted and the population's access to fundamental supplies must be guaranteed.

Meanwhile, this Thursday, June 4, the Bolivian Highway Administrator (ABC) registers a total of 84 blockades, led by peasant unions, the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB) and sectors related to former president Evo Morales (2006-2019). Cochabamba (25) and La Paz (20) are the ones with the highest number of pickets on this day.

Read alsoBolivia without a solution in sight: more than 100 blockades and the victims due to lack of medical care reach five

Empty markets, patients at risk due to lack of supplies

In La Paz, seat of the Executive and Legislative branches, the street markets, usually crowded, are today reduced to a limited supply, which forces people to stand in long lines to get basic products such as milk or eggs, at prices that have doubled or tripled.

The outlook is also discouraging for the health sector, with health centers crying out due to the lack of supplies such as oxygen. At the Children's Hospital in La Paz, about 50 scheduled surgeries had to be suspended. At the entrance, parents of some of the admitted children mobilized shouting "we want oxygen."

"The situation is critical, today (Wednesday, June 3) we are running out of cryogenic oxygen and we are going to only use oxygen cylinders. The reserve we have is enough for three days and if in three days we do not have a solution, it will have these catastrophic results," the director of that health center, Alfredo Mendoza, explained to the EFE agency.

Of the ten deaths registered in the context of the crisis, seven were a consequence of not having timely medical attention due to the blockades. Among them, a 24-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl who were due to receive cancer treatment and could not reach La Paz.

Janet Ramallo, a 43-year-old cancer patient, explained to EFE that she must travel from the north to the west of La Paz, in the midst of sporadic blockades, and that it is increasingly difficult to obtain the medications for her treatment, which are in short supply and have become more expensive.

"There are people who have already decided to stop their treatment and you will understand that cancer is a matter of life or death (...) We want to live, but if the Government does not do its part and does not bring order, I think we are going to have to count more deaths," the woman warned.

Read also “While they fight above, the people below are dying of hunger”: the impact of the blockades in Bolivia

With EFE and local media

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