Bolivia declares emergency after weeks of protests and roadblocks
What's next: Congress has 72 hours to approve or reject the measure as shortages deepen and some Indigenous groups vow to keep blocking roads.
Bolivia's president declared a state of emergency after weeks of anti-government protests and road blockades that have disrupted supplies across the country. The measure gives the government broader powers to clear highways blocked by demonstrators, whose actions have caused shortages of fuel and basic goods and paralyzed large areas. Congress must approve or reject the declaration within 72 hours. The unrest began in late April over a proposed land reform that President Rodrigo Paz later scrapped, then widened to include anger over fuel subsidy cuts, austerity measures and proposed constitutional changes. Several people have died and hundreds have been arrested during the crisis.