Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz don declare state of emergency afta weeks of protests wey dey demand im resignation. Di move go give Paz broader powers to clear road blocks wey demonstrators don put for road, wey don cause serious shortages of basic goods and paralyse large parts of di nation.
For one statement, di president tok say di state of emergency go free di kontri roads and restore normalcy. Under law, Bolivia Congress must approve or reject di measure within 72 hours of di declaration.
Di blockades wey miners, farmers and indigenous groups dey lead na part of protests wey start for end of April. Several people don die and hundreds don arrest during di unrest. Protest groups dey call for fuel subsidies to reinstate and rollback of austerity measures, plus dey dey demand Paz resignation.
Di president say di crisis na organised attempt to destabilise di kontri. For one social media post on Saturday, im tok say Bolivians cannot continue to be hostages of blockades wey dey prevent working, studying, receiving medical attention, supplying themselves, and bringing sustenance to their homes.
Paz announcement come hours afta im unveil say dem don strike deal wit di kontri main union, di Bolivian Workers Confederation. But some Indigenous groups don say dem go continue to protest, wit roadblocks still dey for place. Journalists report say dem see police and military personnel for main squares on Saturday.
Protests start for end of April, trigger by land reform wey Paz propose. Critics argue say di proposals go make am easier for large landowners to buy up small properties. Paz don scrap di reform since den.
But farmers don join by oda groups wey dey vent grievances over oda measures like cuts to long-standing fuel subsidies. There also dey backlash to proposed changes to Bolivia constitution. Di president wey be centre-right politician wey dem elect last October say dis changes dey needed to open di economy to private investment. But demonstrators argue say di changes go undermine oversight of natural resources and oda key economic areas.
Paz don accuse di left-wing former president Evo Morales of orchestrating di protests, but di ex-leader don deny am. Paz don try to defuse di widespread protests by reshuffling im cabinet, slashing im salary and dat of im ministers for half, and announcing creation of council to negotiate wit sectors of society wey feel isolated under im government. But so far, dis measures don fail to quell di unrest.
Last month, Congress pass bill wey go make am easier for di president to declare state of emergency and deploy soldiers to quell protests.
