Bolivia's president declares state of emergency after 50 days of deadly road blockades

A crisis triggered by fuel subsidies

Bolivia's spiral into unrest began in early May when President Rodrigo Paz abruptly scrapped long-standing fuel subsidies, a move intended to shrink the fiscal deficit against a backdrop of dwindling dollar reserves and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. The decision ignited strikes and road blockades that soon paralysed parts of the Andean nation. Although the government later moved to stabilise fuel prices and rolled back unpopular land reforms, the protests broadened. Unions, farmers, miners and supporters of former leftist president Evo Morales coalesced around demands for Paz's resignation, wage increases and an end to fuel and foreign-currency shortages. The blockades severed the administrative capital La Paz and neighbouring El Alto (home to roughly two million people) from the outside world, causing long queues at petrol stations and shortages of food and medical supplies.

The human toll

Bolivia's ombudsman office reports that at least 14 people have died since the blockades started. Among the dead are patients who could not reach hospitals in time because roads were impassable. The government says more than 250,000 workers, mainly in La Paz and El Alto, have been affected by the halt in economic activity. President Paz, in a televised address early Saturday, said Bolivians could no longer be held hostage.

Bolivians can no longer be held hostage by blockades that prevent them from working, studying, receiving medical care, obtaining supplies, and feeding their families.

A partial deal that falls short

On Friday, hours before declaring the state of emergency, Paz reached an agreement with the country's largest union federation, the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB). He called it a glimmer of hope for all Bolivians, and COB chief Mario Argollo said the accord could help calm the situation. The deal, however, left out powerful rural organisations aligned with former president Evo Morales, including the Tupac Katari federation in the La Paz highlands. Those groups continue to man roadblocks and insist on the release of jailed protesters and greater respect for indigenous communities.

The agreement can help calm the situation.

State of emergency and military deployment

The nationwide state of emergency, valid for up to 90 days, allows Paz to deploy the armed forces to clear roads and restrict civil rights. Parliament had eased the rules for such a declaration at the end of May. Paz must inform Congress within 24 hours; lawmakers then have 72 hours to approve or reject the measure. He framed the move as a last resort after exhausting all avenues for dialogue, and warned that anyone continuing the blockades would face the full force of the law. He also accused some protesters, whom he labelled "drug terrorists," of pursuing an organised strategy of destabilisation backed by Morales. Morales, who governed from 2006 to 2019, is currently in hiding in the Chapare region, wanted on charges including human trafficking and sexual abuse of a minor.

I have exhausted all possibilities for dialogue.

A country at a crossroads

Paz, a conservative backed by US President Donald Trump, ended almost two decades of left-wing rule when he won the presidency in November 2025. The current crisis is the most severe economic shock Bolivia has seen in four decades. With the COB deal showing some promise but rural loyalties to Morales remaining strong, the road ahead is fraught. The military's presence on the streets may restore supply lines, but the political rifts exposed by the subsidies cut are likely to persist.