Bolivia President Rodrigo Paz faces cabinet resignations amid nationwide protests

President Rodrigo Paz has submitted a draft law to Parliament to regulate states of emergency as Bolivia endures a month‑long wave of road blockades and protests. The unrest, sparked in early May by fuel shortages, rising living costs and opposition to economic measures, has resulted in at least five deaths and economic losses exceeding $1.6 billion.

During the fifth week of the crisis, the defence minister, Mauricio Salinas, and the education minister, Beatriz García, resigned, marking the most significant cabinet departures since the demonstrations began. Protesters—including labour unions, indigenous groups, teachers and factions aligned with former President Evo Morales—demand higher wages, humanitarian corridors, and some now call for Paz’s resignation. The government accuses the blockades of attempting to destabilise the constitutional order, while the opposition blames the administration for an economic collapse not seen in four decades.

Paz said the emergency‑law proposal would provide a legal framework for police, armed forces and other authorities to act "with a logic of humanitarian action" and stressed dialogue as the path forward. The Legislative Assembly must now debate the bill amid ongoing blockades that have disrupted transport of goods, food, medical supplies and fuel across the country.