BY MIRIAM AMANCAY COLQUE
‘AFTER fifty days of permanent mobilisations and blockades, the Indigenous and popular movement, which is demanding the resignation of US-backed President Rodrigo Paz, suffered another betrayal from the trade union bureaucracy.
The Bolivian Workers’ Central – COB (Bolivian TUC), led by Mario Argollo, on June 19 attended a ‘dialogue’ with the Rodrigo Paz regime and signed a ‘unilateral agreement’ without informing the rank and file, social organisations.
Also without the participation of the main protagonists who were excluded, such as the: Federación Departamental Unica de Trabajadores Campesinos “Tupac Katari”, Confederacion Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas, Indigenas y Originarias de Bolivia “Bartolina Sisa”, Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia – CSUTCB.
Also the Federation de Juntas Vecinales – FEJUVE, Confederacion Sindical de Comunidades Interculturales de Bolivia – CSCIOB, Auto-convocados.
Argollo has not respected the agreement signed with social organisations, whose sole demand was the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, due to his lack of capacity to solve the structural problems the country is experiencing.
Days earlier, Raquel Ponce, an MP from Oruro, denounced that mining workers from the Huanuni region – Mario Argollo’s mining town – had accepted Bs.5.000 as payment for not taking part anymore in the protests and blockades.
The same day of the COB-government dialogue, mining workers from Colquiri also signed agreements with Rodrigo Paz.
It’s worth noting that at the beginning of the protests, teachers received Bs.2,500, the police Bs.3,000 and mining co-op benefited from tax amnesty due to the Caja Nacional de Seguridad Social (Bolivian NHS).
This is how Rodrigo Paz bought consciences to maintain his grip on power, by bribing them.
At the end of the dialogue, Argollo, speaking to the press, said: “From this moment on, the road blocks must end … to avoid reaching a State of Emergency.”
However, around 1.30am on the morning of June 20, Rodrigo Paz, like a dictator, issued the unconstitutional Decree 5636, declaring a State of Emergency under the flimsy pretext of ‘internal unrest throughout the national territory for 90 days.’
Vice President Edman Lara, as President of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly (ALP), has called Parliament tonight for an emergency session to discuss the State of Exception. The Constitution says that, the Legislative Assembly has 72 hours to decide on the continuation or revocation of this Law, according to Article 13 of Law 1740, that is the “Regulation de Estados de Excepcion”.
There is already a heavy deployment of armed military and police troops in various parts of La Paz and El Alto, where some clashes have occurred, along with stop and searches and detention of protesters.
Christian Velasco, spokesperson for “Evo Pueblo” said: “Decree 5636 does not guarantee the protection of human rights. On the contrary, it gives free rein to the violation of fundamental rights. And the Armed Forces continue to act outside the law and the Constitution.
“We have warned on numerous occasions that there is not, nor will be, a law or decree that guarantees immunity for those who attack the people.”
Numerous organisations have expressed their rejection and condemnation of the State of Emergency and they declared themselves in State of Emergency.
The CSUTCB expressed its strongest and total condemnation on the State of Emergency, declared exactly on the eve of the Andean-Amazonian New Year.
The government objective is to repress and criminalise our heroic struggle.
They reaffirm that the State of Emergency will not break their determination to continue with the mobilisations and calls for unity.
Several other organisations have also spoken out, rejecting the agreement between the COB leadership and the Rodrigo Paz regime, reiterating their commitment to continue putting pressure to demand the release of those detained and condemning the repression, militarisation and the criminalisation of social protest.
The rank and file members of the Six Federations of El Tropico, in Cochabamba, have also decided to remain united in their pressure tactics and resist the State of Emergency.
Antonio Oviedo, the Home Office Minister announced an intervention in the region of El Tropico, Cochabamba, and to start legal proceedings against former President Evo Morales.
Evo is falsely accused of being responsible for the mobilisations, terrorism, drug trafficking, economic damage, etc, accusations that are utterly and completely unfounded. Evo is simply their scapegoat.
But of course, justice against Evo Morales, under this regime, acts swiftly.
Minister Oviedo ought to answer about the thirty-two suitcases full of drugs/ money brought by a former MP from Miami, the frequent export of wooden planks with tons of drugs, the drug plane that crashed in El Alto carrying millions of Bolivian currency, the small narco planes that depart daily from Santa Ana with the approval of the authorities and the frequent hitmen killings in the eastern part of the country.
These are just some of the cases that happened in the last seven months under Rodrigo Paz’s regime. It means, they are turning the country into a narco-state and President Paz has the nerve to label the protesters “narco-terrorists!” Who is the real “narco-terrorist?”
The Bolivian Workers’ Centre (COB) signed an agreement behind the people’s backs in exchange for ending the general strike, without seeking any guarantees against the declaration of State of Emergency or any guarantees for the mobilised people who, for fifty days resisted – and will continue to resist – the regime’s onslaught, to fight the plunder of our natural resources, for our dignity and sovereignty.
We call on the international human rights organisations to verify in-situ the violations of constitutional rights under Paz’s regime.
The struggle continues, the rank and file will not give up and the Bolivian people will prevail. This is the countdown to Rodrigo Paz’s resignation.
We condemn the State of Emergency and demand its repeal!
We demand the freedom of all political prisoners!
London, June 20, 2026.’
