Bolivian soldiers used an armoured troop carrier to smash their way into the presidential palace on Wednesday in an apparent attempted coup.
After battering down the vast wooden doors, heavily-armed soldiers surged into the building in the centre of the capital La Paz.
Inside, President Luis Arce confronted the army’s former top officer, Juan José Zúñiga, who appeared to be leading the rebellion, and told him: “I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers.
I will not allow this insubordination.”
Hours later, Bolivian authorities arrested General Zuniga and took him into police custody, according to reports.
However, shortly before his arrest, General Zúñiga claimed Mr Arce asked him to storm the palace in a political move.
“The president told me: ‘The situation is very screwed up, very critical.
It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity’,” General Zúñiga told reporters.
General Zúñiga said he asked Mr Arce if he should “take out the armoured vehicles?” and Mr Arce replied, “Take them out.”
Justice Minister Iván Lima denied General Zúñiga’s claims, saying he was lying and trying to justify his own actions for which he will face justice.
Prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for General Zúñiga, “for having attacked democracy and the Constitution”, Mr Lima said on X.
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@SadBi11R1ghtsGreen2yrs2Y
Stop doing coups in Bolivia. It’s not happening for you.
Meanwhile, Bolivia under MAS has had basically the fastest reduction in poverty anywhere. Deal with it.
I'm still curious what Zúñiga was thinking, but yesterday we saw two faces of South America. First, a grotesque coup attempt of the vulgar 20th century type, a tank ramming the palace. Then we saw social movements, unions and regional leaders immediately unite to defend democracy
@PieFrankieRepublican2yrs2Y
Seems like the coup plotters tried to exploit the Arce/Evo divide and didn’t think the more Evo leaning social movements would rise to defend the constitution, glad they were wrong.
Par for the course with the far-left.
I wonder how much of this nonsense we'll see here over the next few years as our own hard-left extremists fight to retain power.
@9PVWZBH2yrs2Y
Wasn't it the conservative MAGA crowd who tried to have their own little coup on Jan 6? Because that was not the far left.
If only it would happen here and we could throw out the globalists, Maoists and their puppets. Unfortunately we have a captured armed forces. It’s going to have to be revolution.
@SeafowlNoraGreen2yrs2Y
Coming to a western European nation near you, any time soon.
@MajorityCoyoteDemocrat2yrs2Y
Half-joking with a friend here in São Paulo we said: "You can't do a coup like that anymore, it's too obvious. You have to enlist some combination of the judiciary, the media, congress, and maybe throw in explosive protests to sow chaos. That man forgot to manufacture consent"
@HopefulTurtle2yrs2Y
I'm glad the South American democratic tradition is being maintained.
Many years ago a friend went on honeymoon to Peru with his American wife.
They were caught up in a coup attempt with tear gas and bullets being fired. He panicked; she coped. She was ex-military.
Still married I believe.
Seems to me, from what we know, like he handed Arce an excuse to remove him from power with his political comments, Arce fired him, and Zúñiga tried to scrape together a coup as a last ditch hail Mary attempt to cling to power.
Ive spoken to relatives who live in Bolivia (I was concerned about them), who were very relaxed as the general view there is that it was what they call an 'auto golpe' (auto coup), organised and orchestrated by the government to garner international sympathy and support.
I also told of the time a former Bolivian president, in the sixties, shot himself (having been injected with anaesthetic), and claimed to have been attacked as he approached the presidential residence. The fact that the bullet had gone through his gluteus gave way to many jokes at the time... He too was desperate to boost his popularity.
In the case of yesterday's 'coup attempt', I tend to believe the sacked general's version..
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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