Coup attempt fails in Bolivia, army flees government palace: NPR

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Armored vehicles stormed the doors of Bolivia’s government palace in an apparent coup attempt Wednesday, but President Luis Arce vowed to stand firm and appointed a new army commander who ordered the troops to retreat.

The soldiers and military vehicles soon retreated, and hundreds of Arce’s supporters ran onto the square outside the palace waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.

Surrounded by ministers, Arce waved to the crowd. “Thank you to the Bolivian people,” he said. “Let democracy live.”

Hours later, Juan José Zuniga, a Bolivian general allegedly behind the uprising, was arrested after the attorney general launched an investigation. It was not immediately clear what charges were brought against him.

However, in a twist, Zuniga claimed in a statement to reporters before his arrest that Arce himself had asked the general to attack the palace as part of a political ploy. “The president told me: ‘The situation is very bad, very serious. It is important to prepare something to increase my popularity’,” Zuniga quoted the Bolivian leader as saying.

Zuniga said he asked Arce if he should “take the armored vehicles out?” and Arce replied, “Take them out.”

Justice Minister Ivan Lima refuted Zuniga’s claims, saying that the general was lying and trying to justify his actions, for which he would have to face justice.

Lima said via the social media platform X that prosecutors would seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Zuniga “for attacking democracy and the Constitution.”

Wednesday’s uprising follows months of tension, with economic hardship and protests growing ever stronger as two political heavyweights – Arce and his one-time ally, leftist former President Evo Morales – battle for control of the ruling party.

Still, the apparent attempt to oust the current president received no meaningful support, and even Arce’s rivals appeared to unite in defending democracy and rejecting the coup.

The spectacle stunned Bolivians, who are not immune to political unrest; Morales was ousted as president in 2019 following an earlier political crisis.

As the crisis unfolded on Wednesday, a flood of military vehicles arrived. Before entering the government palace, Zuniga told reporters: “There will certainly be a new cabinet of ministers soon; our country, our state cannot go on like this.” Zuniga said that “for now,” however, he recognized Arce as commander in chief.

Zuniga did not explicitly say he was leading a coup, but said the military was attempting to “restore democracy and free our political prisoners.”

Shortly after, Arce confronted Zuniga in a palace corridor, as shown in video on Bolivian television. “I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your troops, and I will not allow this disobedience,” Arce said.

“We are determined here in Casa Grande to counter any coup attempt. We need to organize the Bolivian people,” he said, surrounded by ministers.

Less than an hour later, Arce announced the new heads of the army, navy and air force to roaring supporters, and thanked the country’s police and regional allies for standing by him. Arce said soldiers rising up against him were “tainting the uniform” of the military.

“I order everyone to return to their units,” newly appointed army chief Jose Wilson Sanchez said. “Nobody wants to see the images we are seeing in the streets.”

Shortly after, armoured vehicles left the plaza, followed by hundreds of military fighters, while police in anti-riot uniforms set up a blockade outside the government palace.

The incident sparked outrage from other regional leaders, including the Organization of American States, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, the leader of Honduras and former Bolivian leaders.

Bolivia, a country of 12 million, has seen intense protests in recent months as it has fallen from being the continent’s fastest-growing economy two decades ago to its most troubled one.

There are also deep divisions within the country’s ruling party. Arce and his one-time ally Morales are fighting over the future of Bolivia’s disintegrating Movement for Socialism (known as MAS in Spanish) ahead of elections due in 2025.

Following Wednesday’s chaos, local media reports suggested that Bolivians were stocking up on food and other essentials at supermarkets as they worried about what might happen next.

But addressing supporters outside the presidential palace, the country’s vice president, David Choquehuanca, vowed: “The Bolivian people will never allow another coup attempt.”