Bolivian President Luis Arce faced down a brief attempted coup Wednesday, urging the public to “organize and mobilize” in defense of democracy as soldiers and armored vehicles withdrew from government buildings in La Paz.
Bolivia, a country with a history of political instability, is grappling with an economic crisis that has ignited street protests. “We cannot allow coup attempts to take Bolivian lives once again,” Arce said from Casa Grande, the presidential residence. “We want to urge everyone to defend democracy.”
In scenes broadcast on Bolivian television, Arce confronted former army chief Gen. Juan José Zuniga, who led the coup attempt, in the presidential palace hallway. “I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce told Zuniga.
Zuniga, dismissed as commander of the Bolivian army a day earlier, was later detained and seen being forced into a police vehicle. His whereabouts are unknown.
Bolivian Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said Wednesday night that the armed forces were “under control.” “We now have total and absolute control over our armed forces. Everything is under control now. We urge the population that everything goes back to normal,” he said, according to state-run Bolivia TV.
The attempted coup was condemned by the Bolivian government and international leaders. Bolivia’s Attorney General’s Office has launched a criminal investigation against Zuniga and “all the other participants” involved in the incident.
Tensions are rising in Bolivia over plans by leftist former president Evo Morales to run for reelection against Arce in next year’s general elections. The country is also struggling with an economic crisis marked by dwindling foreign currency reserves and shortages of fuel and other necessities.
Earlier Wednesday, armed soldiers occupied Murillo Plaza, a main square in La Paz, and armored vehicles rammed the doors of the government palace, according to the Associated Press. Morales, a member of Arce’s Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, said on X that a “coup d’état is brewing.”
Before his detention, Zuniga told reporters in Murillo Plaza that he aimed to “restore democracy” amid the country’s economic woes. He vowed to “free all political prisoners,” including former president Jeanine Anez.
Amid the chaos, Arce announced new military commanders, including Gen. José Sánchez as the new army chief. Sánchez ordered soldiers in the square to return to their units, and armed vehicles soon left Murillo Plaza, according to Bolivia TV footage. Arce also announced new heads of the navy and air force.
International condemnation of the coup attempt was swift, with leaders from Paraguay, Mexico, and the European Union expressing support for Bolivia’s democracy and Arce’s government.
The U.S. Embassy in La Paz rejected any attempt to overthrow the elected government and called for respect for the constitutional order. The Organization of American States (OAS) and the EU also condemned the coup attempt and expressed solidarity with the Bolivian government.
