Bolivia’s president has denounced an attempted coup in La Paz, the administrative capital, following the storming of the presidential palace by soldiers. Armoured vehicles and troops were also stationed at Murillo Square on Wednesday, where important government offices are situated. Reports now indicate that they have started to withdraw.
Rebel military officer General Juan José Zúñiga stated his intention to “restructure democracy,” expressing respect for President Luis Arce for the time being but signalling an imminent change of government.
President Arce called on the public to “organise and mobilise against the coup d’état, in favour of democracy”. “We cannot allow once again coup attempts to take Bolivian lives,” he said in a televised message to the country.
He additionally declared the appointment of new military commanders, confirming earlier reports of General Zúñiga’s dismissal following his public criticism of Bolivia’s former leader, Evo Morales. Mr. Morales has urged criminal charges against General Zúñiga and his associates and has condemned the coup attempt. The public prosecutor’s office announced it would initiate a criminal investigation.
Earlier, troops sealed off entrances to Murillo Square and forcibly entered the presidential palace after breaching the doors. Gen Zúñiga said while speaking from Murillo Square: “We are going to recover this homeland”. “An elite has taken over the country, vandals who have destroyed the country,” he said.
General Zúñiga made a televised statement on Monday, declaring his intent to arrest Mr. Morales if he attempted to run for office again, despite legal prohibitions. Mr Morales, who stepped down as president amid accusations of electoral misconduct in 2019 and was replaced by Ms Áñez following pressure from the army, called for supporters of democracy to stage strikes and block roads.
Tensions between Mr Morales and Mr Arce are rising despite their previous alliance within the socialist movement. The attempted coup has sparked international condemnation, including from several Latin American countries.
The leader of neighbouring Paraguay made an “energetic call to respect democracy and the rule of law”, while Mexico’s president expressed the “strongest condemnation of the attempted coup”. The US is observing the situation in Bolivia closely and has advised restraint. “The European Union condemns any attempt to disrupt the constitutional order in Bolivia,” wrote the body’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on social media.
Mr. Morales, Bolivia’s first president from the indigenous majority, initiated a radical program upon taking office in 2005 aimed at addressing profound social divisions and inequalities. He resigned in 2019 after attempting to circumvent the constitution and seek a fourth term. Following his departure, Ms. Áñez declared herself interim president in November 2019.
In a repeat of the 2019 election a year later, Mr. Arce won, marking the return of the MAS socialist party to power. Ms Áñez was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison for “actions contrary to the constitution.”
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