Bolivia: Unsuccessful Coup Attempt Against President, New Commander Orders Troops To Stand Down

BOLIVIA-POLITICS-ARMY People take cover from tear gas fired by Military police at Plaza Murillo in La Paz on June 26, 2024. Bolivian President Luis Arce on Wednesday slammed an attempted “coup d’etat” after soldiers and tanks deployed outside government buildings and tried to knock down a door of the presidential palace, before pulling back.

Bolivia’s president issued a warning of a “coup” attempt as troops stormed the government palace.

Before smashing through the doors of the main government building, troops barricaded the entrances to Murillo Square in La Paz, which is home to important government buildings. Then soldiers abruptly rushed inside.

Troops and armored vehicles have positioned themselves on the square.

President Luis Arce had earlier warned on social media of “irregular mobilizations of some army units. Democracy must be respected.”

Bolivian Minister Maria Nela Prada published a video on her Meta (Facebook) account showing the view from a window in a government building.

“I’m in the palace of the people. As you can see, this is the Plaza Murillo taken by armed tanks and troops,” Prada said.

Acre noted that Bolivians needed to quickly mobilize against a “coup d’etat.”

“We need the Bolivian people to organize and mobilize against the coup d’etat in favor of democracy,” Arce said in a televised message to the country alongside his ministers inside the presidential palace. “We cannot allow coup attempts to take Bolivian lives once again.” 

General Juan José Zúñiga, the military officer commanding the troops that seized central La Paz, declared that he recognized President Arce “for the moment,” but he also hinted at a potential change in cabinet and ministers.

“We are going to recover this homeland,” General Juan José Zúñiga said from Murillo Square after it was taken by troops. An elite has taken over the country; vandals have destroyed the country,” Gen. Ziga said. “The army intends to restore true democracy.”

He said “political prisoners,” including jailed former leader Jeanine Áñez, would be freed.

On Monday, the military chief made an appearance on television and stated that he would arrest left-wing former President Evo Morales if he ran for office again next year.

Morales, who resigned as president and was replaced by Áñez in the midst of protests over accusations of vote-rigging in the 2019 election, urged proponents of democracy to go on strike and block roads.

“I ask democratically-minded people to defend the homeland from certain military groups that act against democracy and the people,” he said.

The national security spokesperson for the White House stated that the U.S. was closely monitoring the situation in Bolivia and urged moderation.

The EU, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, denounces any effort to subvert the constitutional order.

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