Bolivia’s government rejected calls for a state of emergency on May 19 even as escalating protests led by supporters of former president Evo Morales paralysed key transport routes, triggered violent clashes in La Paz and deepened fears of economic collapse.

President Rodrigo Paz instead ordered a reinforced police and military deployment around the capital while insisting security forces would continue operating in a “deterrent” role without lethal weaponry.

"Those seeking to destroy democracy will go to jail," Paz warned last week.

The unrest entered its third week after thousands of demonstrators descended from El Alto into central La Paz demanding Paz’s resignation and fresh elections within 90 days. Protesters linked to Morales’ hard-left political movement Evo Pueblo, alongside miners, coca growers and labour activists from the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), attempted to breach police cordons protecting Plaza Murillo, home to the presidential palace and congress.

Authorities reported more than 95 arrests following clashes in which protesters used dynamite charges, fireworks and stones against riot police, who responded with tear gas and chemical agents. Public buildings and private businesses suffered extensive damage, while several commercial premises were looted and burned.

Speaking during a rally in El Alto, Cochabamba peasant leader Nelson Virreira warned Paz he would face “social convulsion” if he refused to resign voluntarily.

“We are offering Rodrigo Paz a peaceful exit,” Virreira said in remarks broadcast by coca growers’ radio station Kawsachun Coca. “Otherwise, he will leave through the roof with the rebellion of the people.”

The government accused Morales' loyalists of attempting to force a change of power through anti-democratic means. Presidential spokesman José Luis Gálvez said officials had identified armed groups infiltrating demonstrations and circulated footage allegedly showing members of the indigenous activist group Ponchos Rojos carrying weapons and calling for civil war.

Interior vice-minister Hernán Paredes said anyone carrying firearms or dynamite would be arrested. He confirmed police detained a former electoral candidate carrying explosives and fuses in a backpack near protest zones in La Paz.

Authorities are also investigating the movement of large sums of money allegedly arriving from Chapare, Morales’ coca-growing stronghold, to finance road blockades around the capital.

The protests have exposed the fragility of Paz's centrist administration only months after he ended nearly two decades of MAS rule, which collapsed at last year's election amid an internal feud between Morales and former president Luis Arce. Paz took office in November without a congressional majority and inherited a severe economic downturn marked by fuel shortages, inflationary pressure and declining foreign reserves.

His government axed fuel subsidies shortly after taking office, pushing up transport and consumer costs across the country. Analysts say the administration has struggled to implement broader reforms needed to stabilise Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in four decades.

Road blockades have intensified shortages. Bolivia’s highway authority said more than 40 blockade points were active across six departments, including La Paz, Oruro, Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Potosí and Santa Cruz.

More than 130 fuel tanker lorries remained stranded on highways as diesel and petrol shortages worsened nationwide. Hospitals in La Paz declared emergency conditions after reporting shortages of oxygen and medical supplies.

Business groups warned the country was approaching institutional and economic paralysis. The National Chamber of Commerce estimated losses above $50mn per day, while the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE) said cumulative damage from the blockades had already surpassed $500mn.

Rather than imposing emergency powers, the government opted to establish humanitarian corridors coordinated with neighbouring countries including Argentina, Chile and Ecuador to secure food and fuel deliveries into major urban centres.

“There is no possibility of a state of emergency,” Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo said in a radio interview. “We will instead take tough and strict measures with greater police and military presence.”

Vice-President Edmand Lara called for unconditional national dialogue to prevent shortages from evolving into a humanitarian crisis.

The violence has already left at least four people dead since the blockades began. Among them was Alberto Cruz Chinche, an indigenous community leader associated with the Ponchos Rojos movement. According to Gálvez, Cruz Chinche died after falling into a trench dug by protesters themselves near a blockade point.

Other victims included two women unable to access timely medical treatment because of road closures and a 20-year-old woman whose death was reported in El Alto on May 14.

Morales, who governed Bolivia between 2006 and 2019, has continued encouraging demonstrations from Chapare, where he has avoided arrest since 2024 over allegations involving the abuse of a minor in 2016. A second detention request related to the same case was issued earlier this month.

Supporters of the controversial former president have reportedly secured an unused airstrip in Chapare amid fears authorities could attempt to detain him.

The crisis has also generated diplomatic tensions. While receiving support from the United States and several Latin American governments, Paz's administration pushed back against comments by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who described events in Bolivia as a "popular insurrection." On May 20, the government ordered Colombia's ambassador to leave the country, citing sovereignty concerns and non-interference in internal affairs.

Meanwhile, Morales' allies continue mobilising supporters in rural and indigenous communities, framing the protests as a response to economic hardship and alleged government repression.

Despite mounting pressure, Paz has refused to negotiate directly with Morales’ faction, insisting his administration will preserve constitutional order while avoiding measures that could deepen political polarisation.