National crisis - Bolivia's president rejects conspiracy with coup plotters
After the failed coup in Bolivia, President Luis Arce has responded to the accusation of colluding with the conspirators. The putschists acted on their own, said the President at his first press conference after the coup attempt. "I am not a politician who seeks to gain popularity through the blood of the people."
On Wednesday, disloyal military personnel took control of the central square in La Paz with armored vehicles and advanced on the government palace. President Arce faced them down and immediately replaced the entire leadership of the armed forces. The new heads of the military branches ordered the troops to retreat.
A total of 17 military personnel were arrested after the coup attempt. "We will stop this anti-democratic network. We will not rest until all the responsible parties are brought before the court. It's time to bring the putschists out from the streets and put them behind bars," said Bolivia's Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo at a press conference.
The putschists face up to 30 years in prison.
Among those arrested were the commanders General Juan José Zúñiga and Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador. The Prosecutor General accuses them of armed rebellion against the sovereignty of the state and attacking the President. In the event of a conviction, they face up to 30 years in prison.
Zúñiga had claimed before his arrest that the coup had been agreed upon with President Arce. "The President told me that the situation was very bad. It was necessary to prepare something to boost his popularity," said General Zúñiga on television. "I asked him, 'Should we bring out the tanks?' and he answered, 'Bring them out'." The government denied the account. "Zúñiga's goal was to seize power in the country against the will of the people," said Interior Minister Del Castillo.
The motivation for the coup attempt was initially unclear. It is rumored that it was aimed at preventing a new presidential candidacy of former President Evo Morales (2006-2019). Reports indicate that Zúñiga had said Morales should not return as President and threatened to stand in his way if that happened. According to Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo, Zúñiga was informed on Tuesday evening that he had to resign from his position.
Former President Morales and his former ally Arce are vying for power
The leftist President Morales - the first indigenous President of Bolivia - stepped down in 2019 under pressure from the military after accusations of electoral fraud in the presidential election from the opposition and international election observers. Although it was forbidden to him in several court rulings, Morales intends to run for president again in 2025. Currently, Morales and his former ally Arce are competing for power in the MAS government party.
After the first reports of the putsch attempt, he even called his rival Morales and warned him, Arce stated at his press conference. "We have our differences of opinion, but that doesn't mean I won't warn him in case of a coup," Arce said. "It was clear they would come for me first and then for him. In the end, we are comrades, so I called him to allow him to take precautions."
After the failed putsch attempt, numerous demonstrators went out to support the government on the streets. They erected roadblocks between the government seat La Paz and the higher-lying sister city El Alto, as reported by the newspaper "La Razón". "We will not allow democracy to be attacked," said the mayor of El Alto, Eva Copa. The industrial city at an altitude of 4100 meters has numerous supporters among the workers and indigenous people for the government.
- Following the thwarted coup in Bolivia, the Bolivian Government, led by President Luis Arce, has strongly denied allegations of colluding with the conspirators.
- The attempted coup in La Paz saw disloyal military personnel seize control of the central square with armored vehicles and target the government palace.
- In response, President Arce promptly replaced the entire leadership of the armed forces, with the new military heads ordering their troops to retreat.
- Bolivia's Interior Minister, Eduardo del Castillo, vowed to bring those responsible for the anti-democratic network to justice and remove the putschists from the streets.
- Among the arrested military personnel were high-ranking officers General Juan José Zúñiga and Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador, accused of rebelling against the state and attacking the President.
- In a dramatic turn of events, General Zúñiga had previously claimed that the coup was agreed upon with President Arce, a claim vehemently denied by the Government.
