The Chamber of Senators of Bolivia, meeting in the city of Sucre, has given the green light to a bill that repeys the State of Exception Law, approved in 2020 to establish procedures and restrictions for the Executive to adopt extraordinary measures, including the intervention of the Army.
Until now, this regulation contemplated control formulas and a series of requirements to declare a state of exception, such as legislative oversight and the setting of specific deadlines for the validity of government provisions.
The approved text has already been sent to the Chamber of Deputies for final review and, if it receives approval, will allow the Executive to have greater room for maneuver and fewer conditions when decreeing a state of siege in scenarios of social conflict like the current one. The capital, La Paz, has accumulated three weeks of blockades by protesters demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.
The initiative passed with the support of the majority of the Senate plenary. Its defenders argue that the repeal seeks to prevent possible abuses in the application of exceptional measures and safeguard constitutional guarantees amid the crisis.
At the same time, civic sectors such as the Comité pro Santa Cruz have called on President Paz to decree a "sectorized state of exception" to ensure free movement and confront road blockades.
In contrast, unions and social organizations promoting the mobilizations believe that resorting to this constitutional figure could worsen the climate of confrontation and trigger new episodes of violence.
Demands to stop the violence
In parallel, the Catholic Church, the Ombudsman's Office, and the Permanent Assembly of Human Rights of El Alto and Provinces have issued a joint statement demanding an immediate end to the violence following clashes on Saturday on the road between La Paz and Oruro and in various points of El Alto, which occurred when the government sent a convoy of police and military to try, unsuccessfully, to lift the blockades.
These institutions also request the "urgent, independent, and transparent clarification" of what happened, with special attention to cases of injured persons, one deceased, and allegations of human rights violations.
"We regret that dialogue has not materialized so far," indicates the statement, which underscores the urgency of re-establishing real conditions for communication between the parties and avoiding decisions that deepen confrontation or endanger the lives of citizens.
Likewise, they express their willingness to continue promoting approaches with both the mobilized sectors and government representatives, with the objective of contributing to the reduction of violence and the reopening of spaces for understanding.
"The priority at this moment must be the protection of the life, integrity, and social peace of the Bolivian population," concludes the text.