Supporters of BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 president rallied outside his palace on Thursday after a failed coup attempt a day earlier, giving some political breathing room to the embattled leader of this as they chanted pro-democracy slogans.
The South American nation of 12 million watched in shock and bewilderment Wednesday as military forces appeared to turn on the government of President Luis Arce, seizing control of the capitalB次元官网网址檚 main square with armored vehicles, crashing a tank into the presidential palace and unleashing tear gas on protesters. Three hours later, the army general who led the attempted coup was in custody.
On Thursday, riot police guarded the palace doors and Arce B次元官网网址� who has struggled to manage the countryB次元官网网址檚 shortages of foreign currency and fuel B次元官网网址� condemned the now-ousted Bolivian army chief, Gen. Juan Jos茅 Z煤帽iga.
Analysts say that the surge of public support for Arce, even if fleeting, provides him with a much-needed reprieve from the countryB次元官网网址檚 economic quagmire and political turmoil. The president is locked in a deepening rivalry with the popular former President Evo Morales, his erstwhile ally who has threatened to challenge Arce in 2025 primaries.
B次元官网网址淭he presidentB次元官网网址檚 management has been very bad, there are no dollars, there is no petrol,B次元官网网址� said La Paz-based political analyst Paul Coca. B次元官网网址淵esterdayB次元官网网址檚 military move is going to help his image a bit, but itB次元官网网址檚 no solution.B次元官网网址�
Some protesters gathered outside the police station where the former army general was being detained, shouting that he should go to jail. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a shame what Z煤帽iga did,B次元官网网址� said 47-year-old Dora Quispe, one of the demonstrators. B次元官网网址淲e are in a democracy, not a dictatorship.B次元官网网址�
Before his arrest late Wednesday, Z煤帽iga alleged without providing evidence that Arce had ordered the general to carry out the coup attempt in a ruse to boost the presidentB次元官网网址檚 popularity. That fueled a frenzy of speculation about what really happened, and opposition senators and government critics echoed the accusations, calling the mutiny a B次元官网网址渟elf-coupB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� a claim strongly denied by ArceB次元官网网址檚 government.
In La PazB次元官网网址檚 main Plaza Murillo, supporters addressed Arce, yelling B次元官网网址淟ucho, you are not alone!B次元官网网址� as fireworks exploded overhead. Lucho, a common nickname for Luis, also means B次元官网网址渇ightB次元官网网址� in Spanish.
Some Bolivians said they believed Gen. Z煤帽igaB次元官网网址檚 allegations on national TV that the coup attempt was a hoax.
B次元官网网址淭hey are playing with the intelligence of the people, because nobody believes that it was a real coup,B次元官网网址� said 48-year-old lawyer Evaristo Mamani.
Lawmakers and former officials also bolstered the allegations. B次元官网网址淭his has been a setup,B次元官网网址� said Carlos Romero, a former official in the Morales government. B次元官网网址淶煤帽iga followed the script as he was ordered.B次元官网网址�
Soon after the military action was underway, it became clear that any attempted takeover had no meaningful political support. The rebellion ended bloodlessly by the end of the business day. Arce named a new army commander, who immediately ordered troops to retreat.
B次元官网网址淗ere we are, firm, in the presidential palace, to confront any coup attempt,B次元官网网址� Arce said after facing down Z煤帽iga. Hundreds of surged into streets surrounding the palace Wednesday night, singing the national anthem and cheering for Arce.
Authorities swiftly arrested Z煤帽iga as his soldiers retreated from central La Paz.
The U.S. deputy secretary of state for management, Rich Verma, condemned ZunigaB次元官网网址檚 actions and speaking in Paraguay on Thursday noted that B次元官网网址渄emocracy remains fragile in our hemisphere.B次元官网网址�
The short-lived mutiny followed months of mounting tensions between Arce and ex-President Morales, BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 first Indigenous president. Morales has staged a dramatic political comeback since mass protests and a deadly crackdown prompted him to resign and flee in 2019 B次元官网网址� a military-backed ouster that his supporters decry as a coup.
Morales has vowed to run against Arce in 2025 elections despite a constitutional court ruling that said he was ineligible because he had already served. The possibility of Morales running again has rattled Arce, whose popularity has plunged as the countryB次元官网网址檚 foreign currency reserves dwindle, its natural gas exports plummet and its currency peg to the U.S. dollar collapses.
The cash crunch has ramped up pressure on Arce to scrap food and fuel subsidies that have put a strain on state finances, a combustible move ahead of elections.
Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 turmoil had its roots in a private meeting Tuesday in which Arce dismissed Zu帽iga over the army chiefB次元官网网址檚 threats to arrest Morales if he proceeded to join the 2025 race. Arce has also denied the legitimacy of MoralesB次元官网网址� presidential bid.
In their meeting, Zu帽iga gave officials no indication he was preparing to seize power, Novillo said.
B次元官网网址淗e admitted that he had committed some excesses,B次元官网网址� he said of Zu帽iga. B次元官网网址淲e said goodbye in the most friendly way, with hugs. Zu帽iga said that he would always be at the side of the president.B次元官网网址�
Mere hours later, panic gripped the capital of La Paz. Tailed by armored vehicles and supporters, Zu帽iga burst into government headquarters and declared the armed forces sought B次元官网网址渢o restore BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 democracy.B次元官网网址�
The influx of soldiers sent Bolivians into a frenzy, thronging ATMs, queuing outside gas stations and ransacking grocery stores. By one count, Bolivia has had and revolutions since its 1825 independence.
The countryB次元官网网址檚 fragmented opposition rejected the coup before it was clear it had failed. Former interim President Jeanine 脕帽ez, detained for her role in MoralesB次元官网网址� 2019 ouster, said that soldiers sought to B次元官网网址渄estroy the constitutional order,B次元官网网址� but appealed to both Arce and Morales not to run in the 2025 elections.
Santa Cruz Gov. Luis Fernando Camacho, also detained for allegedly orchestrating a coup in 2019, demanded answers from ArceB次元官网网址檚 government on Thursday.
B次元官网网址淲as it a media spectacle put on by the government itself, as General Z煤帽iga says? Was it just some military madness? Was it simply another example of lack of control?B次元官网网址� he wrote on social media platform X.
Z煤帽igaB次元官网网址檚 answer came as a shock, telling reporters that Arce had asked him directly to storm the palace and bring armored vehicles into downtown La Paz.
B次元官网网址淭he president told me: B次元官网网址楾he situation is very screwed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Z煤帽iga alleged the Bolivian leader told him.
Bolivian officials have denied Z煤帽igaB次元官网网址檚 claims, insisting the general was lying to justify his actions. Prosecutors said theyB次元官网网址檇 seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Z煤帽iga on charges of B次元官网网址渁ttacking the constitution.B次元官网网址�
Political experts struggling to comprehend the reasons behind WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 turmoil.
B次元官网网址淭his is the weirdest coup attempt I have ever seen,B次元官网网址� said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivia-based research group. B次元官网网址淏oliviaB次元官网网址檚 democracy remains very fragile, and definitely a great deal more fragile today than it was yesterday.B次元官网网址�
