Bolivian troops withdraw from presidential palace after apparent coup attempt

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Bolivia’s armed forces have withdrawn their troops from the presidential palace and surrounding areas following an apparently failed coup attempt in the South American country.

Footage shared on social media appears to show military vehicles leaving the central square in La Paz, just hours after an armored vehicle rammed into the entrance to the presidential palace and heavily armed soldiers forced their way in.

As darkness fell in the capital, police secured Plaza Murillo, right in front of the palace, and government supporters gathered in solidarity.

President Luis Arce, who had just hours earlier condemned an attempted military coup against his left-wing government, appeared before the crowd on the shoulders of an unknown man, raising his fists victoriously as his supporters waved Bolivian flags and cheered.

“Bolivia is facing a coup attempt,” Arce, a former protégé of the country’s former leftist leader Evo Morales, said in a brief televised statement from an undisclosed location on Wednesday. “We need the organization and mobilization of the Bolivian people against the coup plotters.”

General Juan José Zúñiga has been accused by politicians of leading a coup. Zúñiga, dressed in military uniform, told a local television crew outside the palace: “The three commanders in chief of the armed forces have come to express our dismay. There will be a new cabinet of ministers, surely things will change, but our country cannot continue like this any longer.”

Zúñiga also called for the release of several imprisoned politicians, including two opposition leaders: former President Jeanine Áñez – who briefly ruled Bolivia from 2019 to 2020 – and former Governor Luis Fernando Camacho.

The public prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday evening that it would open an investigation against Zúñiga. Local media reported shortly afterwards that he had been arrested.

Zúñiga was removed from office earlier this week after declaring that Morales – who initially claimed victory in a disputed presidential election in 2019 but later resigned – should not be allowed to run for president again.

Shortly after the attack on the palace, Arce swore in new military officers who called on the troops to withdraw. The country’s Supreme Court condemned the “attack on democratic stability” and reiterated its commitment to “guaranteeing law and justice.”

Tensions have escalated in Bolivia in recent weeks as Arce and Morales – former allies of the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party – have been embroiled in a heated disagreement.

Morales, who still has great influence, called on his supporters to stand up for democracy. “We will not allow the armed forces to violate democracy and intimidate the people,” Morales wrote on X.

Bolivia, a landlocked country in the high Andes with 12 million inhabitants, has experienced numerous coups since its independence in 1825.

Morales, a former coca farmer who ruled the country from 2006 to 2019, has announced he will run against Arce in next year’s presidential election. His term was marked by democratic backsliding as he championed indigenous rights.

At the same time, the economy is struggling with dwindling foreign exchange reserves and natural gas reserves, the country’s most important export commodity. The Boliviano’s peg to the dollar has almost collapsed.

A law passed last year allowing the central bank to sell gold reserves somewhat alleviated the looming financial crisis. However, at the end of last year the bank still owned 23.5 tons of gold, just above the legal limit of 22 tons.

Wednesday’s military action sparked swift condemnation around the world.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said the US was “closely monitoring” the situation and calling for “calm and restraint”.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said: “The European Union condemns any attempt to break the constitutional order in Bolivia and overthrow democratically elected governments.”

Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, called on the army to submit to Bolivia’s “legitimately elected civil power.”

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum offered her unconditional support to Arce in a post on X. “The uprising of some units of the Bolivian Armed Forces is an attack on democracy. We strongly condemn these acts,” she wrote. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, said he wanted “democracy to prevail in Latin America; coups never work.”