LA PAZ, Bolivia
Bolivian President, Rodrigo Paz, warns the country is at a "breaking point" after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and life-saving medicine.
The political capital, La Paz, has been besieged by low-income workers and members of the country's Indigenous majority have called for the president's resignation.
Less than six months ago, the inauguration of centrist president Rodrigo Paz seemed to usher in a new reality for Bolivians reeling from the worst economic crisis in a generation and fed up with two decades of almost uninterrupted socialist leadership.
After years of diplomatic isolation, Bolivians took pride in the dozens of international delegations that celebrated Mr Paz's swearing-in as he repaired strained relations with the United States and regional powers.
Now, that optimism has been replaced by dread as violent protests shake the government of the Trump administration ally.
Demonstrators wielding dynamite have blockaded major cities, leading to shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Indigenous and rural Bolivians who backed Mr Paz's campaign promises to up-end the status quo while protecting social welfare have called on him to step down.
On Tuesday, Congress lifted restrictions on him announcing a state of emergency, paving the way for Mr Paz to possibly deploy troops to restore order.
"The country needs order, and is reaching breaking point," the 58-year-old leader said at a public event in La Paz, on Wednesday, local time, renewing his appeal for dialogue.
"If they do not want dialogue … then there is no other way," he said of the protesters while insisting that he preferred to negotiate.
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