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Coup in Bolivia: Military rebels enter government headquarters
Zúñiga, who was sacked the day before the coup, has publicly opposed the possibility of former President Evo Morales returning to power.
Political tensions in Bolivia have risen sharply as a military unit led by deposed army chief Juan José Zúñiga forcibly entered the Quemado Palace, the seat of government in La Paz. President Luis Arce called on citizens to “mobilize against the coup” and stressed the importance of defending democracy.
“We cannot allow a coup attempt to happen again,” President Arce declared at the adjacent government building, Casa Grande del Pueblo. Surrounded by ministers and Vice President David Choquehuanca, Arce vowed to “appease the unconstitutional desires of the coup leaders.”
#at last coup #BoliviaThis is how the military tank entered the presidential palace https://t.co/pfDem0UvIe pic.twitter.com/HcxMwaHTol
— 100% News (@100noticiasni) June 26, 2024
Zuniga, who was sacked just a day before the coup attempt, had spoken out against the possibility of former President Evo Morales returning to power. The rebels have detained government officials and demanded the release of former military leaders jailed for their role in overthrowing Morales in 2019. “The elites have taken over the country,” Zuniga declared in Plaza Murillo, positioning himself as the leader of the rebellion. He called for the reorganization of democratic institutions and the release of political prisoners, including former President Jeanine Áñez.
In response to the uprising, President Arce quickly appointed new military commanders. The newly appointed army chief, José Wilson Sánchez, urged the rebels to return to their barracks. “I demand, I order, I decide that all those who are in the streets must return to their units,” Sánchez declared. He called for peace and stressed that the government must abide by the constitution. At his call, the rebel soldiers began to retreat from Plaza Murillo.
We condemn the occupation of Plaza Murillo by a group of the Charapata Special Regiment “Mendez Arcos” with snipers. This seems to indicate that they were prepared in advance for a coup d’état.
I ask the people of our democratic mission to defend our country from certain groups…— Evo Morales Emma (@evoespueblo) June 26, 2024
Marianela Prada, the presidency minister, denounced the uprising as an “attempted coup” orchestrated by a faction of the military. “The military faction has taken over the Plaza Murillo, they mobilized, pushed people out of the square, occupied the four corners of the square,” Prada reported from Casa Grande del Pueblo.
The political unrest has sparked widespread public calls for action. The country’s largest union, the Central Bolivian Union (COB), announced an indefinite strike and urged all unions to defend the government. “We call on the armed forces to reflect. Respect democracy and the rule of law,” said Juan Carlos Guarachi, secretary of the Central Bolivian Union.
Despite the tensions, former Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira downplayed the severity of the situation, arguing that it was more of a display of arrogance by Zúñiga than a full-blown coup. “This is a danger for democracy, but this is a movement that has no future and will not prosper,” Ferreira said.
The crisis has even united opposition leaders in defense of democracy. Former Santa Cruz Governor Luis Fernando Camacho expressed his support for the democratic system. “The will of the people must be respected,” Camacho insisted. Former President Carlos Mesa also condemned the coup attempt, stressing that “the term of the current government must end on November 8, 2025. Any such attempt is nothing more than a coup.”
Last hour
First popular mobilization against a coup in Bolivia.
– Bolivia’s main union has called for a general strike in support of President Luis Arce during the coup. pic.twitter.com/cGztK2dkCD
— ECSaharaui (@ECSaharaui__) June 26, 2024
Zúñiga was fired on Tuesday after he threatened Morales, vowing never to let him return to power and noting that the military was “the armed force of the people, the armed force of the fatherland.”
The coup comes against the backdrop of an economic crisis, with dollar and fuel shortages fuelling popular discontent. President Arce has warned of a “soft coup” aimed at shortening his term and has implicitly accused Morales of being behind the destabilisation drive.
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