La Paz, June 20 (IANS) Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz announced early Saturday the implementation of a state of emergency aimed at restoring road traffic across the country after weeks of nationwide blockades related to protests.
Since early May, road blockades in several parts of Bolivia have disrupted the transportation of fuel, food and medical supplies, causing shortages in some cities and dealing a heavy blow to economic activity, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a message posted on social media, Paz said Bolivians could no longer remain “hostages” to road blockades that prevent people from working, studying, receiving medical care, obtaining essential goods and supporting their families.
“This state of emergency is not intended to take away normality, but to restore it,” the president said.
Paz also stressed that the government’s doors would remain open to all those willing to engage in good-faith dialogue.
“Meanwhile, Bolivia needs to recover its roads, guarantee supplies and return to normality,” he said.
On Thursday, the Bolivian government signed an agreement with the trade union federation Bolivian Workers’ Central, a key participant in the protest movement, committing both sides to address pending demands through dialogue. The agreement has been viewed as an important step toward resolving the country’s social unrest, which has lasted for about 50 days.
However, some farmers and indigenous groups continue to maintain road blockades, and transportation networks across the country have yet to fully return to normal.
The protests were initially launched by the trade union group, farmer organisations, and indigenous groups over issues including fuel shortages and rising living costs.
Earlier this month, President Paz enacted a new law regulating states of emergency, as continuous protests and road blockades have led to disruptions in supplies, transport and the economy.
Law 1740 allows the president to declare a state of emergency through a supreme decree in situations involving threats to state security, external threats, internal unrest or natural disasters. The decree must be sent to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, Bolivia’s national legislature, which has 72 hours to rule on it.
Speaking at the government headquarters in La Paz, Paz said the law is aimed at protecting the majority of Bolivians, defending the constitutional order and restoring economic normality.
The president said dialogue would remain the main tool of his government, but warned groups he described as violent and linked to “narco-terrorism” that the state would act firmly under the law.
The 27-article law regulates states of emergency under Bolivia’s Constitution, guarantees fundamental rights during their implementation and defines the roles of the police, armed forces and prosecutors.
Paz said the measure has institutional backing and was approved by a qualified majority in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.
–IANS
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