The nationwide protests demanding Rodrigo Paz’s resignation remain massive and forceful.

On Monday, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz enacted the Law Regulating States of Emergency to allow the direct involvement of the Armed Forces in controlling social protests.

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Accompanied by his ministers and the heads of the police and the Armed Forces, the right-wing politician justified his decision by arguing that the law will allow the state to confront the “narco-terrorism” driving the protests.

The move comes as workers, miners and farmers organizations have managed to sustain six weeks of continuous and massive mobilizations demanding Paz’s resignation.

The enactment of the law, however, does not automatically place the country under a state of emergency because its implementation requires a decree.

Nevertheless, Paz said that the operational plan for the police and the Armed Forces has already been designed to protect the population with “firmness.”

In an attempt to justify repressive actions, Paz once again invoked narratives against former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), whom he accused of ordering his supporters to radicalize the protests.

The right-wing president also said that dialogue with social organizations remains open, but not with those linked to “narco-terrorists,” a term that reproduces Washington’s characterization of social and political forces that do not follow its geopolitical designs.

Currently, more than 80 highway blockades remain active in the departments of Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Potosi, Chuquisaca, and Santa Cruz. The situation is deepening food shortages in Bolivia’s cities.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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