Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday enacted a law restoring the executive branch's authority to deploy the military in the streets. File Photo by Luis Gandarillas/EPA
May 27 (UPI) -- Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday enacted a law restoring the executive branch's authority to deploy the military in the streets and simplifying procedures to declare a state of emergency, as the South American country faces a deep political and social crisis.
The legislation was fast-tracked through Bolivia's Plurinational Legislative Assembly after days of heated debate in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
With the law taking effect following its publication in the Official Gazette, the armed forces are now fully authorized to conduct joint operations with the Bolivian National Police.
The measure repeals the so-called "Eva Copa Law," approved in 2020 during the rule of the leftist Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS, which required the executive branch to submit emergency decrees for review by the legislature.
