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Original article: Rodrigo Paz pierde piso hasta en la derecha: diputado propone revocatorio en medio de rebelión popular en Bolivia

Amid the popular uprising occurring in Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz is losing support even within his own political faction, as Deputy Carlos Alarcón, aligned with the right and previously close to the government, has proposed holding an extraordinary recall referendum that would include the President, Vice President, and all members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.

This proposal, shared on social media by Alarcón, shakes the foundations of the Executive branch, coinciding with over a month of mass multisectoral mobilizations and road blockades across nine departments as pressure mounts for Paz to resign.

Alarcón’s initiative suggests that if a majority votes to retain the current authorities, they will serve their full terms until 2030; otherwise, new general elections will be called.

The «Dead End» of the Crisis in Bolivia

The popular rebellion erupted after just six months of Paz’s administration, during which measures implemented have included cuts, privatizations, and a bundle of 10 laws favoring multinational companies, significantly increasing basic service fees and adversely affecting the living conditions of the populace.

The legislator described the current situation as a «dead end» and warned that violence must not be institutionalized as a method for changing government.

Simultaneously, he characterized the dialogue between the government and the mobilized sectors as «stalled,» with the primary demand being the resignation of Rodrigo Paz, as reported by Prensa Latina.

«The Assembly cannot remain idle while citizens suffer from shortages and standstill,» he posted on X, igniting a heated debate over a constitutional resolution to the crisis.

Law Lifts Restrictions on Military Use in Protests

He recalled that Rodrigo Paz signed the enactment of Law 1732, a measure that removes the restrictions that previously limited military intervention in social conflicts.

The law, published in the Official Gazette, was approved by more than two-thirds of the Senate and 66% of the Chamber of Deputies, including Alarcón himself, granting the right-wing leader free rein to legitimize the repression of large mobilizations.

This new law repeals the previous Law 1341 on States of Exception, which was in effect since October 2020 and contained two crucial safeguards. The first: the Armed Forces could only be deployed when the police’s capacity was clearly surpassed. The second: neither military nor police personnel were exempt from criminal responsibility for their actions in emergency situations.

The regulations, established based on recommendations from the Independent Expert Interdisciplinary Group (GIEI), which documented 37 deaths in the massacres at Senkata, Sacaba, Huayllani, and El Pedregal following the 2019 coup against former President Evo Morales, served as a legal check against excessive use of force. Now, with its repeal, Paz sheds this legal restraint.

La entrada Rodrigo Paz Faces Political Backlash: Lawmaker Proposes Referendum Amid Popular Uprising in Bolivia se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.