Bolivian Police Arrest Leader of Alleged Coup Attempt
Bolivian police have apprehended the leader of an alleged coup attempt, just hours after soldiers stormed the presidential palace in La Paz. Hundreds of troops and armored vehicles had taken up positions in Murillo Square, home to key government buildings. An armored vehicle tried to breach the entrance to the presidential palace, but soldiers later retreated from the city.
The military leader, Gen. Juan José Zúñiga, claimed he aimed to "restructure democracy" and respected President Luis Arce "for now," hinting at a government change. Shortly after telling reporters the military intervened at the president's request, Gen. Zúñiga was arrested.
Appointed commander of the Bolivian Army in 2022, Gen. Zúñiga was dismissed on Tuesday following inflammatory comments about former president Evo Morales. Dramatic footage from inside the presidential palace showed President Arce confronting Gen. Zúñiga, ordering him to stand down amidst the coup attempt.
Earlier, President Arce condemned the coup, urging the public to mobilize in support of democracy. His call resonated as pro-democracy demonstrators took to the streets. Announcing new military commanders, Arce confirmed Zúñiga’s dismissal due to his criticism of Morales.
Evo Morales, who also denounced the coup, called for criminal charges against Gen. Zúñiga and his associates. The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation, and Vice-Adm. Juan Arnez Salvador of the Bolivian Navy has also been arrested.
Gen. Zúñiga's motives remain unclear. On Monday, he vowed to arrest Morales if he ran for office next year, despite Morales being barred from doing so. Morales was ousted in 2019 by military chiefs accusing him of election manipulation.
Speaking from Murillo Square, Gen. Zúñiga accused an "elite" of ruining the country. However, just before his arrest, he claimed President Arce had instructed the deployment of armored vehicles to boost his waning popularity. Opposition senator Andrea Barrientos supported these claims, suggesting an economic and judicial crisis prompted Arce to stage a "self-coup." Bolivia is currently facing significant economic challenges, including a US dollar shortage.
Barrientos called for a thorough investigation, emphasizing that the government owes the people an explanation.
Nonetheless, it is increasingly clear that Wednesday's move this was a short-lived and ill-judged military uprising rather than any wider unravelling of power.
Certainly, the government now looks more vulnerable, and others may try to dislodge Mr Arce's administration - albeit through politics rather than via the military.
As troops occupied La Paz, 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.
Both Mr Arce and his predecessor belong to the same political party, despite internal political feuds. Their rivalry has led some Bolivians, including Gen Zúñiga, to worry that Mr Morales might seek another term in office.
Concerns come after he tried to bypass the constitution and seek a fourth term in 2019. Mr Morales went on to win the vote, but he was forced to resign and flee the country after violent protests.
The centre-right Jeanine Áñez was the country's interim leader between 2019-20, but was sentenced to 10 years in jail over what prosecutors say was a coup to oust her predecessor Mr Morales. The incumbent president, Mr Arce, went on to win a re-run vote in 2020.
Once allies, Mr. Arce and Mr. Morales have recently diverged on many issues, but they were unified in condemning the use of troops to force political change in Bolivia. Before Morales took power in 2005, Bolivia was one of the most politically unstable nations in the Americas. His tenure brought much-needed stability, despite its tumultuous end.
Mr. Arce, elected after instability following the 2019 election, likely found reassurance in the swift regional response. Left-wing governments in Venezuela and Colombia quickly condemned the situation and called for the preservation of democracy, as did Washington. In Paraguay, center-right President Santiago Peña also condemned the attempted coup.
Even Bolivians opposing Arce’s socialist rule do not wish to return to the era when militaries with poor human rights records frequently ousted democratically elected leaders by force. Human rights activist Jhanisse Vaca Daza expressed concern that Arce might use the apparent coup as a pretext to crack down on his opponents. She warned this could empower Arce's government to arrest opposition members perceived as threats and potentially close the Legislative Assembly.
Political analyst Carlos Toranzo noted ambiguity about whether the events constituted a coup attempt or a staged show by the government. He pointed out the unusual calmness of the president and his cabinet during the crisis, noting that typically, communications to the palace would be cut off in a coup. However, in this case, the military left communication channels and official broadcasters untouched.⁹⁹90⁰⁰
When asked if there was anything to be gained by staging a coup attempt, Toranzo remarked, "[President] Arce is winning. The whole country defended democracy."
