Bolivia: Arce appoints new military command in response to coup attempt; soldiers retreat

Armored military vehicles and a large group of uniformed officers surrounded the Bolivian government palace in La Paz on Wednesday, in what the country’s president considered an attempted coup d’état.

The Bolivian president, Luis Arce, called on the people to mobilize against the military deployment and decided hours later to appoint a new military leadership, replacing the Army commander general, Juan José Zúñiga, who led the mobilization of uniformed men against the government.

“We cannot allow coup attempts to take the lives of Bolivians once again“, Arce rejected in a national message broadcast on television.

After the change in military command, videos were seen in which soldiers and armored military vehicles that were in the square in front of the government headquarters were leaving the place. Zuñiga also left the place.

“Without a doubt today has been an atypical day in the life of a country that wants democracy“, declared President Arce, after the start of the military withdrawal. And he referred to “an attempted coup d’état by soldiers who are staining the uniform, who are attacking our Constitution”.

He recognized, however, that Bolivia has “soldiers who know that our political Constitution of the State and respect for current regulations is the most important thing.”

“We deplore the attitudes of bad soldiers who unfortunately repeat history by trying to carry out a coup d’état when the Bolivian people have always been democratic people.”, he stressed.

The president had earlier denounced “irregular mobilizations of some units of the Bolivian Army” and called to respect democracy, while television images showed the deployment of uniformed personnel and armored military vehicles in front of the Government Palace in La Paz.

Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, also in a message on X, formerly Twitter, denounced the mobilization of soldiers in Murillo Square, where the government headquarters is located, and mentioned that “the coup d’état is brewing”.

Television images showed several armored military vehicles and a group of soldiers in front of the government headquarters, who later entered the palace after forcing entry.

Army commander Zúñiga, present in the same Plaza Murillo, said: ““We are upset by the outrage that exists, enough is enough.” Without giving more details of what he was referring to, he spoke on television about “attacks on democracy.”“, that “There will soon be a cabinet change” and “for now” recognizes President Arce as commander in chief of the Armed Forces.

The Government Palace of Bolivia was guarded by police units, while President Arce was inside along with the Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo.

Arce was later seen on television images confronting Zúñiga in the palace hallway.I am your captain and I order you to withdraw your soldiers and I will not allow this insubordination“, the president told the Army commander.

In a national message broadcast live, the Bolivian president insisted on calling for democracy with the support of social organizations.

He asked the people to mobilize against the military deployment. “We salute social organizations and cordially invite them to once again show the path of democracy“, cheer up.

Previously, the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, denounced that it was an attempted coup d’état. “Murillo Square has been taken over by the military and tanks. It is an attempted coup d’état. The people are on alert to defend democracy.”, he told the Red Uno channel.

Zuñiga later spoke in the midst of the military deployment in Murillo Square, whose access was blocked, and denounced that “an elite has taken over power, the State.”

He said the Armed Forces want to restructure democracy and called for the freedom of all political prisoners, mentioning former interim president Jeanine Añez and Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of the wealthy province of Santa Cruz, both in prison. “It cannot be that subordinates are imprisoned for having followed orders”, in relation to the trial and convictions against military leaders who participated in the 2019 political crisis that led to the resignation of President Evo Morales (2006-2019).

“We want to establish democracy… The army does not lack balls to ensure the tomorrow of our children“, the military command emphasized the fatigue of those in uniform with the decisions of the political class. The promotion lists in the Army are pending approval by the Legislature in the midst of the struggles between the sectors of the ruling party.

The day before, Commander Zúñiga said in a televised interview that if former president Evo Morales maintained his intentions to run for president again, they could arrest him.

The new military command appointed by Arce to replace Zúñiga, José Wilson Sánchez, rejected what happened. “It is a special situation they said because no one wants to see the image that we are seeing in the streets.”, he declared and ordered the withdrawal of the troops that had mobilized to the streets.

Supporters of the president gathered in the square and shouted slogans in his favor such as “I fight, you are not alone” or “Rifle, shrapnel, the people do not shut up.” The military fired tear gas to disperse them.

The Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), the workers union, declared a general strike and called for “mobilizations” to the workers.

The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States condemned what happened in Bolivia and appealed for the Army to submit “to the legitimately elected civil power.”

Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS, spoke from Asunción and rejected the situation: “The international community, the OAS and the OAS General Secretariat will not tolerate any form of violation of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia, or anywhere else.”.

For his part, the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, condemned the military action in a message on X and expressed his concern about the situation in Bolivia. “We strongly condemn the unacceptable action of force by a sector of the army of that country”, he indicated.

The Paraguayan president, Santiago Peña, also showed his support for the Bolivian government: ““We make a strong call to respect democracy and the rule of law.”