Bolivian Congress Gives Paz Power to Use Troops Against Crippling Protests
The law gives soldiers legal protection as protests tied to inflation and fuel subsidy cuts have blocked about 100 roads nationwide, officials said.
- On Sunday, Bolivia's Chamber of Deputies passed legislation authorizing President Rodrigo Paz to deploy the military against road blockades, with Chamber President Roberto Castro announcing, "This law is hereby passed."
- A month of demonstrations calling for the President to step down has paralyzed the Andean nation, with about 100 roadblocks causing severe food and medicine shortages led by farmers and miners.
- Following Saturday's operation in San Julian, the new rules grant soldiers a "presumption of legality" when using force against protesters, meaning their actions are deemed lawful unless proven otherwise.
- The US-backed Shield of the Americas alliance vowed support against "cynical efforts to prevent the delivery of food," while ruling party lawmaker Carlos Alarcon called the protections "very useful" for protecting rights.
- This legislation repeals a 2020 law that restricted military crackdowns, expanding the military's role beyond previous support duties, as Paz noted Sunday that the capital and Alto are seeing "concrete progress.
18 Articles
18 Articles
The country has been experiencing a wave of protests for over a month
The Bolivian Congress (parliament) has passed a law giving President Rodrigo Paz the authority to deploy the army to clear roadblocks that have paralyzed major cities for weeks. This was reported by the Speaker of the Lower House, Roberto Castro, after a night-long debate lasting several hours.
On Sunday, 7 June, MPs finally passed a law allowing the centre-right leader to involve the military in order to put an end to the demonstrations that have been blocking part of the country's roads for the past five weeks.
In the early hours of Sunday, the Bolivian Congress passed a law that empowers the Central American president Rodrigo Paz to deploy the Armed Forces to lift the roadblocks that various sectors have maintained for more than a month demanding their resignation. Mundo El Escudo de las Américas denounces an attempted criminal coup against the President of Bolivia Andrés Ignacio Henríquez Campesinos, miners, transporters and other guilds have paralys…
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