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By Jesus Mesa
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Military troops and tanks were deployed on Wednesday in front of the Bolivian government headquarters in La Paz, attempting to break down the door of the presidential palace in an apparent coup attempt that appears to have failed spectacularly.
The coup unfolded in the early hours, with heavily armed soldiers and tanks positioning themselves around the government headquarters. Bolivian President Luis Arce warned of "irregular mobilizations" of the army just before the soldiers stationed in Plaza Murillo.
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Local media reported seeing an armored car ramming a government building. Eyewitnesses described military personnel attempting to forcefully break down the door of the presidential palace. One tank tried to break down a metal door, which was later entered by General Juan José Zúñiga, the head of the Army until his dismissal on Tuesday.
The coup attempt was then thwarted by Arce loyalists and a forceful response from his security team.
Zúñiga had stated his intention to "restructure democracy" and mentioned that while he respected President Arce for now, there would be a change of government. He was then dramatically arrested on live television while answering questions from reporters.
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The dismissed military leader, who was fired on Monday after declaring he would arrest former president Evo Morales if he ran for office again next year, claimed his actions were due to "the situation in the country."
"The three chiefs of the armed forces have come to express our dismay. There will be a new cabinet of ministers; surely things will change, but our country cannot continue like this any longer," he said before the coup attempt.
Earlier in the morning, President Arce warned of "irregular mobilizations" of the army and called on the public to "organize and mobilize... in favor of democracy."
"We need the people to mobilize against the coup d'état. We cannot allow coup attempts to resurface. We salute the organizations for their mobilization in support of democracy. Long live Bolivia. Long live democracy," he proclaimed from the Casa Grande del Pueblo, adjacent to the Palacio Quemado.
His words resonated with pro-democracy demonstrators who took to the streets in support of the government, eventually leading to the surrender of the rebel military officers.
Photos from journalists on the ground captured a tense standoff between Zúñiga and President Arce in front of the Presidential Palace in La Paz, with Arce blocking Zúñiga's entry into the building.
After his arrest, Zúñiga claimed that the president had asked him to "prepare something to boost his popularity." "So, do we deploy the armored vehicles?" the officer asked, to which Arce responded, "Go ahead."
Zúñiga's version suggests that President Arce orchestrated a self-coup, commonly referred to as an "auto-golpe," in an attempt to consolidate power and improve his standing among the populace.
The OAS "will not tolerate any disruption to the constitutional order" in Bolivia, said Secretary-General Luis Almagro on Wednesday, condemning the irregular movements of the Bolivian army in front of the government headquarters in La Paz.
'Tensions were brewing'
Former President Morales, himself overthrown by the military in 2019, backed Arce and warned that "a coup d'état was brewing," calling for public demonstrations in support of the government.
Morales' support was surprising, given he and Arce recently battled for control of the MAS party. Although formerly allies, they have disagreed on many issues recently but united in condemning the use of troops for political change.
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Bolivia is suffering from slow growth, rising inflation and a scarcity of dollars—a stark contrast to the "economic miracle" attributed to Morales in the previous decade.
Arce, formerly Morales's Minister of Economy, has clashed with Morales's allies in the congress, who blocked attempts to take on debt to relieve economic pressure.
Bolivia has a history of over 190 coup attempts, with recurring conflicts between political elites in urban areas and mobilized rural sectors. The most recent coup in 2019 saw Morales overthrown in favor of right-wing Jeanine Áñez, who is now in jail.
Update 6/26/24 10:00 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with new information throughout.
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