Government Floats Possible State of Siege as Legislature Prepares Extension Vote

As the Legislative Assembly prepared to vote Sept. 16 on the 90-day state-of-exception extension, presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez said the government could go further and declare a state of siege (estado de sitio) — potentially including curfews restricting public circulation — if new road blockades materialize: "Si se ve pertinente imponer otras medidas, lo vamos a hacer, la ley lo contempla." Officials cited the risk of a repeat of the May-June blockades that killed at least 16 people and cost over $3 billion, led by the departmental peasant federations and COB with Morales-aligned support, as justification for keeping escalation options open even as the current measure's legal basis was still being debated in Congress.