Bolivia Deploys Military as Protests Demand Paz's Resignation

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz enacted a law on May 27 that restores executive authority to deploy military forces during protests, as nationwide unrest entered its fourth week. The legislation repeals restrictions imposed in 2020 by the leftist Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, removing limits on emergency declarations and allowing joint operations between the military and police.

The crisis began over sector-specific demands including wage increases for public schoolteachers, steady gasoline supply for peasant unions, and expanded mining access. However, protests escalated into calls for Paz's resignation just six months after he took office. Roadblocks have surrounded La Paz, emptied markets, and depleted hospital oxygen reserves, with at least seven deaths reported when emergency vehicles were blocked from reaching medical centers.

The economic impact is severe, with business organizations reporting daily losses exceeding $50 million. Banks including Banco Nacional de Bolivia temporarily closed branches in La Paz over security concerns. The government blames allies of former president Evo Morales for encouraging the blockades, accusing them of undermining democracy.

In response to the crisis, Paz announced he would cut his salary and those of his cabinet ministers in half during an event in Sucre, Bolivia's constitutional capital. He described the pay cuts as demonstrating the government's commitment to the country amid growing political tensions. The European Union delegation and five European embassies issued a joint statement calling for dialogue and peaceful demonstrations.

President Paz has warned that the country is at 'breaking point' after a month of anti-government protests. Demonstrators led by unions and indigenous groups have set up roadblocks across Bolivia, causing serious shortages of basic goods and paralyzing large parts of the nation. Groups are calling for fuel subsidies to be reinstated, a rollback of austerity measures, and Paz's resignation.

Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Jose Luis Lupo ruled out any possibility of President Rodrigo Paz resigning amid mass protests, describing calls for his resignation as 'anti-democratic'. Lupo estimated the number of active protesters at roughly 30,000. He emphasized that international lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank understand and support Bolivia's situation.

Protests in Bolivia are demanding the resignation of Rodrigo Paz, the country’s first right-wing president in decades. Since Paz took office in November 2025, the country has been placed under austerity measures that have led to a surge in poverty rates for much of Bolivia’s rural and working-class population. The Paz administration’s growing ties with the Trump administration as the U.S. seeks to expand its so-called war on drugs throughout Latin America.