There has been an attempted coup against the government in Bolivia. President Arce warned of a coup by parts of the military. Pictures show soldiers and armored vehicles in La Paz.
Bolivian President Luis Arce has warned of a military coup, announcing that “irregular troops are stationed” in La Paz. Bolivian television footage showed two tanks and other people in military uniform in Murillo Square in front of the government palace.
According to information from ARD South America correspondent Peter Sonnenberg A tank entered the palace, but left again after a while. Now the soldiers are said to have left again. President Ars announced his intention to appoint a new army chief. Later, to the cheers of his supporters, he appointed new commanders of the army, navy and air force.
Former military chief Juan Jose Zunica, who appears to have led the rebellion, was also there. “Surely a new cabinet will be formed soon; our country, our state cannot continue like this,” he told reporters at the square. “For now” he recognizes Ars as commander.
Zúñiga initially did not comment when asked if he was leading the coup attempt. But as he entered the palace grounds, he said the army was trying to “restore democracy and free our political prisoners”. The general had been fired only the previous day.
Top politicians talk of a conspiracy
On the online platform X, Ars called for respect for democracy. Former President Evo Morales condemned the deployment of troops in X and called the events a “coup in the making.” Although Ars and Morales belong to the same socialist movement, they are in fact fractured.
Senior cabinet member Maria Nela Prada also issued a similar statement. It was an “attempted coup,” he told local TV station Red Uno. But people are vigilant to protect democracy.
International concern
The incident immediately sparked reactions from other politicians in the region. Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador has expressed his strong condemnation of the coup attempt. The president of neighboring Chile, Gabriel Boric, the president of Honduras and former Bolivian politicians issued similar statements.
In Bolivia, home to 12 million people, protests have intensified in recent months as the country’s economy has shifted from being one of the continent’s fastest-growing two decades ago to one of its most crisis-hit.
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