Bolivia’s State of Exception Expires This Week and the Extension Is Not Law Yet
BOLIVIA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The committee The Chamber of Deputies justice committee approved a draft resolution on Thursday extending the measure by 90 days.
- —The gap That is a committee step. The full chamber must debate it and both houses must then sit jointly.
- —The original Decree 5636, signed by President Rodrigo Paz on 20 June 2026, nationwide, for 90 days.
- —The terms It bans road blockades and the carrying of weapons and explosives, and allows military support to police.
- —The catch No referendum has been called, despite reporting to the contrary. The Senate president estimates a year.
- —The cost The blockades that prompted it are blamed for 16 deaths and more than US$3 billion in losses.
The decree was signed on 20 June for ninety days. Ninety days from 20 June is 18 September, and a deputy has already named that date as the one to watch.
Bolivia’s nationwide state of exception is days from expiry. The extension meant to replace it has cleared one committee and nothing else.
The justice committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved a draft resolution on Thursday. It would extend the measure by a further ninety days.
That is a committee step rather than a law. The full chamber must debate it, and the vice-president must then convene both houses in joint session.
What the Measure Does
The original instrument is Decree 5636, signed by President Rodrigo Paz on 20 June. It applies to the whole country.
It bans road blockades and the carrying of weapons and explosives. It authorises temporary armed forces support to the police on strategic routes.
Paz described the unrest that prompted it as an organised destabilisation strategy. He also called it an attempted coup d’état by narcoterrorism.
That is strong language for a road blockade, and it reflects how damaging Bolivian blockades are. A landlocked country with few highways can be cut in half by a few hundred people.
The Date Problem
Ninety days from 20 June falls on 18 September. Deputy Manolo Rojas justified the extension by saying groups are waiting for that date to destabilise the country again.
That reference is consistent with an expiry on the 18th. One outlet, La Patria, states the decree runs to 19 December.
That does not fit its own description of a ninety-day measure. The inconsistency is in the source, not in the arithmetic.
Treat the December figure as an outlier until it is corroborated. The legislative urgency on display this week points to mid-September.
Deputies expected the remaining steps the following week. Roberto Castro presides over the chamber and Edmand Lara, as vice-president, convenes the joint session.
What Prompted It
Road blockades ran for seven weeks in May and June. Peasant federations and unions demanded the president’s resignation.
Food and fuel shortages followed, which is the usual mechanism in Bolivia. The government attributes 16 deaths to the period.
It also puts economic losses at more than US$3 billion. For an economy Bolivia’s size that is a very large number.
Bolivia’s underlying crisis is a shortage of dollars and of fuel. The country’s gas exports have collapsed and it no longer earns the foreign currency it needs to import diesel.
The Referendum That Has Not Been Called
Several reports have described Bolivia as calling a constitutional referendum. That is not what happened.
Senate president Diego Ávila said this week that a referendum could be held in about a year. His words were that in a year the consultation could already be done.
The steps before that are substantial. Reform proposals must be integrated, consensus built, a law of constitutional necessity drafted and passed by two-thirds of the legislature.
The targets under discussion are the justice system, the autonomies model and the economic model, particularly hydrocarbons and mining. On 3 September both chambers agreed to analyse a partial reform bill jointly.
The Opposition
Former president Jorge Quiroga has demanded the government publish its full agreement with the International Monetary Fund before any legislative debate. Congress, he argues, cannot vote blindly.
He framed the choice earlier this month as between an extended state of exception and a reformed constitution. His position is that the country must choose one.
Evo Morales has gone further. He called the IMF agreement a betrayal of the homeland and accused the government of aiming to sell out Bolivia.
Both men are positioning for the same space. A government using emergency powers while negotiating with the Fund is an easy target from either direction.
More: Bolivia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bolivia’s state of exception?
A nationwide emergency measure imposed by Decree 5636 on 20 June 2026 for ninety days. It bans road blockades and the carrying of weapons, and allows military support to police.
Has it been extended?
Not yet. A committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved a draft resolution on 10 September, but the full chamber and a joint session of both houses must still act.
Has Bolivia called a referendum?
No. The Senate president has estimated that a constitutional referendum could be held in about a year, after several legislative steps that have not been taken.
What caused the emergency?
Seven weeks of road blockades in May and June by peasant federations and unions demanding the president’s resignation, which produced food and fuel shortages.
Sources: Opinión, Infobae, eju.tv, La Razón, La Patria, Correo del Sur.
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