Government Announces Decree to Extend State of Exception 90 Days as Legislative Opposition Grows

Interior Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo announced in Cochabamba on Sept. 13 that the executive will send the Plurinational Legislative Assembly a new decree extending the state of exception — in effect since June 20 under Decree 5636 and due to expire Sept. 18 — by 90 more days, citing "gran consenso ciudadano" and the risk of renewed mobilizations and blockades. The announcement follows the Chamber of Deputies' Plural Justice Commission's Sept. 10 unanimous resolution recommending the extension, which the Commission said was needed because "still exists the risk of new mobilizations and blockades that could affect the country's stability." Opposition mounted quickly: the Senate's Libre bloc said it would oppose the measure, and the National Congress of Free Transport rejected it, arguing a state of exception "should not be used to limit social protest." The resolution still needs a floor vote in the full Chamber of Deputies followed by a joint session with the Senate, expected the week of Sept. 14; Evo Morales had separately argued Sept. 12 that the state of exception was already going unenforced at blockade sites like San Pablo bridge.