Led by a top general vowing to “restore democracy,” armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia’s government building on Wednesday in what the president called an attempted coup, then quickly retreated — the latest crisis in the South American country that faces a political and economic battle. crisis.
Within hours, the nation of 12 million saw a fast-moving scene in which troops appeared to take control of President Luis Arce’s government.
He vowed to resist and appointed a new army commander, who immediately ordered the troops to stand down.
The soldiers soon retreated, along with a line of military vehicles, ending the rebellion after just three hours.
Hundreds of Arce’s supporters then rushed to the square in front of the palace, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and applauding.
The soldiers’ retreat was followed by the arrest of the army chief, General Juan José Zúñiga, after the attorney general opened an investigation.
Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo said that in addition to Zúñiga, former Navy Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador was also arrested.
“What was the goal of this group?
The goal was to overthrow the democratically elected authority,” del Castillo told reporters as he announced the arrests.
The apparent coup attempt came as the country faced months of tension and political clashes between Arce and his one-time ally, leftist former President Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party. It also arrived in the midst of a severe economic crisis.
The clashes have paralyzed the government’s efforts to address the economic crisis. For example, Morales’ allies in Congress have consistently countered Arce’s attempts to take on debt to relieve some of the pressure.
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Zúñiga referenced that paralysis during the rebellion, telling reporters that the military was tired of infighting and was trying to “restore democracy.”
“We listen to the cry of the people because for many years an elite has taken control of the country,” he said, adding that politicians “are destroying the country: look at the situation we are in, what crisis they have left us in.”
“The armed forces intend to restore democracy, to make it a real democracy,” he said.
The rapidly developing crisis began in the early afternoon when the streets of La Paz began to fill with soldiers. Arce tweeted that the troop deployment was irregular and he and other political figures soon warned of a coup attempt.
However, the apparent attempt to depose the incumbent president appeared to lack any significant support, and even Arce’s rivals closed ranks to defend democracy and repudiate the uprising.
In a twist, Zúñiga claimed in comments to reporters before his arrest that Arce himself had told the general to storm the palace as a political move.
“The president told me: ‘The situation is very messed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to increase my popularity,’” Zúñiga quoted the Bolivian leader as saying.
Zúñiga said he asked Arce if he should “take out the armored vehicles?” and Arce replied, “Take them out.”
Justice Minister Iván Lima denied Zúñiga’s claims, saying the general was lying and trying to justify his actions for which he said he will face justice.
Prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Zúñiga, Lima said via social media platform X, “for attacking democracy and the Constitution.”
The sight shocked Bolivians, no strangers to political unrest; in 2019 Morales was ousted as president following a previous political crisis.
On Wednesday, as the crisis unfolded, Arce confronted Zúñiga in the palace corridor, as shown in the Bolivian television video.
“I am your captain and I order you to withdraw your soldiers and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce said.
Surrounded by ministers, he added: “Here we are, stuck in Casa Grande, to face any coup attempt. We need the Bolivian people to organize themselves.”
Less than an hour later, Arce announced the new heads of the army, navy and air force to roars from supporters and thanked the country’s police and regional allies for standing by him. Arce said that the troops rising up against him were “stained the uniform” of the military.
“I order all mobilized people to return to their units,” said new army chief José Wilson Sánchez. “No one wants the images we see on the streets.”
Shortly after, armored vehicles roared out of the square, followed by hundreds of military fighters as police in riot gear set up blockades outside the government building.
The incident was met with a wave of outrage from other regional leaders, including the Organization of American States, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, the leader of Honduras and former Bolivian leaders.
Bolivia has seen protests intensify in recent months over the economy’s precipitous decline from one of the continent’s fastest-growing countries two decades ago to one of the countries hardest hit by the crisis.
Arce and Morales are fighting for the future of Bolivia’s fragmented Movement for Socialism, known by its Spanish acronym MAS, ahead of 2025 elections.
After Wednesday’s chaos, local media showed Bolivians stocking up on food and other essentials at supermarkets, worried about what will happen next.
But addressing supporters outside the presidential palace, the country’s vice president, David Choquehuanca, promised: “The Bolivian people will never allow another coup attempt.”
[AP]
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