Bolivian police arrest leader of suspected coup attempt

Bolivian police have arrested the leader of a suspected coup attempt, hours after soldiers stormed the presidential palace in La Paz.

Hundreds of soldiers and armored vehicles were stationed in Murillo Square, where important government buildings are located. An armored vehicle broke through the main gate of the presidential palace and allowed the soldiers to enter. Later, everyone withdrew.

The military leader responsible for the rebels, General Juan José Zúñiga, had declared that he wanted to “restructure democracy” and that while he respected President Luis Arce for the time being, there would be a change of government. He was later arrested.

General Zúñiga was removed from office on Tuesday after making inflammatory remarks about former Bolivian President Evo Morales in an interview the previous day.

President Arce condemned the coup attempt and called on the population to “organize and mobilize … for democracy.”

“We cannot allow coup attempts to cost Bolivian lives again,” he said in a televised message to the country from the presidential palace.

His words clearly resonated and pro-democracy protesters took to the streets to show their support for the government.

In dramatic footage apparently shot in the presidential palace, President Arce is seen confronting General Zúñiga, ordering him to resign and asking him to give up his office.

He also announced the appointment of new military commanders, confirming reports that General Zúñiga was dismissed after openly criticizing Morales.

Mr Morales, who also condemned the coup attempt, called for charges to be brought against General Zúñiga and his “accomplices”.

The public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation. The commander of the Bolivian Navy, Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador, has also been arrested.

General Zúñiga’s exact motives for the coup remain unclear.

He was fired after declaring on television on Monday that he would arrest Morales if he ran for office again next year, even though the former president was barred from doing so.

In 2019, Morales was ousted from office by military leaders who accused him of trying to rig the outcome of the presidential election and subsequently sent him into exile in Mexico.

After troops took over Murillo Square, he accused an “elite” of “taking over the country, vandals who destroyed the country.”

But shortly before his arrest, the general told reporters that the president had ordered him to bring out the “blindados” (armored vehicles) to boost his waning popularity. Seconds later, he was bundled into a waiting police car.

Andrea Barrientos, a leading opposition senator, echoed his claims, saying an economic and judicial crisis had prompted Mr Arce to stage a “self-coup”.

“I will say that the government has many questions to answer to the people of Bolivia and that it must explain the situation very clearly,” she added. “We will say that we need a thorough investigation into this situation.”

It is becoming increasingly clear that Wednesday’s action was not a major loss of power, but a short-lived and ill-advised military uprising.

Nevertheless, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether General Zuñiga’s military uprising was just an isolated incident.

Certainly, the government now appears more vulnerable, and others may try to overthrow the Arce government – ​​albeit through political rather than military means.

Morales called on his supporters, especially the country’s indigenous coca growers’ movement, to take to the streets and demand an end to the coup attempt.

This demonstration of popular power may well have helped to strengthen the resolve against General Zuñiga’s plans, which also included the release of “political prisoners”, including former director Jeanine Áñez.

Despite internal political feuds, both Mr Arce and his predecessor belong to the same political party. Their alliance has raised fears among some Bolivians, including General Zúñiga, that Mr Morales may seek another term.

Concerns arise after he tried to circumvent the constitution and seek a fourth term in 2019. Mr Morales won the election but was forced to resign and flee the country after violent protests.

Centre-right politician Jeanine Áñez served as the country’s interim president from 2019 to 2020, but was sentenced to ten years in prison for what prosecutors said was an attempted coup to overthrow her predecessor, Morales. Incumbent President Arce won a repeat election in 2020.

Although former allies Arce and Morales have recently disagreed on many issues, they were united in condemning the use of troops to force political change in Bolivia.

Before Morales took power in 2005, Bolivia was one of the most politically unstable countries in the Americas. His time in office brought much-needed stability to the Andean country, at least until his ignominious end.

For his part, Mr Arce – who was elected after a period of instability following the 2019 elections – may have been encouraged by the speed of the regional response.

Close allies such as the left-wing governments in Venezuela and Colombia immediately condemned the events and called for democracy to be restored. Washington also called for calm.

In Paraguay, centre-right President Santiago Peña also condemned the coup attempt.

Even those Bolivians who opposed his socialist rule do not want a return to the dark days in South America, when military officials with a terrible human rights record often ousted the country’s democratically elected leaders at gunpoint.

But human rights activist Jhanisse Vaca Daza expressed fears that Mr Arce could use the apparent coup as a pretext for cracking down on his opponents.

“It will legitimize (President) Arce’s government and give it more power to arrest new opposition members who they believe could pose a threat to their government,” she said.

“Many current members of the Legislative Assembly fear that this could lead to either the closure of the Legislative Assembly or the arrest of members suspected of collaborating with the military.”