Bolivian police arrest leader of coup attempt
Bolivian authorities have detained the leader behind an attempted coup shortly after soldiers stormed the presidential palace in La Paz. Armored vehicles and troops initially occupied Murillo Square, home to key government offices, but later withdrew.
General Juan José Zúñiga, the rebel military figurehead, expressed intentions to “restructure democracy” and hinted at a change in leadership while maintaining a nominal respect for President Luis Arce. However, he has since been arrested. President Arce unequivocally condemned the coup attempt, urging the public to rally in support of democracy.
“We cannot tolerate further attempts to endanger Bolivian lives through coups,” President Arce declared in a televised address from the presidential palace, prompting pro-democracy demonstrations.
President Arce additionally announced new military appointments following Gen Zúñiga’s dismissal for openly criticizing Bolivia’s former leader, Evo Morales. Morales, in turn, denounced the coup attempt and demanded legal action against Gen Zúñiga and his collaborators. The public prosecutor’s office has initiated a criminal investigation.
While the incident appears to be a brief and poorly executed military uprising rather than a significant upheaval, the coming weeks will determine whether Gen Zúñiga’s actions were isolated or indicative of broader instability. Despite this, President Arce’s administration now faces heightened vulnerability, potentially inviting political challenges rather than military interventions.
Furthermore, he could count on the support of Evo Morales, the influential former president and the elder statesman of Bolivia’s left.
Mr Morales called on his supporters, particularly in the country’s indigenous coca-growers movement, to take to the streets to demand an end to the attempt coup.
That display of popular power may well have helped strengthen the resolve against Gen Zuñiga’s plans, which also included freeing “political prisoners” including former leader Jeanine Áñez.
Speaking from Murillo Square after it was taken by troops, Gen Zúñiga had said: “We are going to recover this homeland.
“An elite has taken over the country, vandals who have destroyed the country.”
He was sacked after appearing on television on Monday, saying he would arrest Mr Morales if he ran for office again next year, despite the former president being barred from doing so.
