Bolivian prosecutors said on Friday they had sentenced a former army commander accused of leading an attempted coup to six months of “preventive detention,” while the president again denied the attack was a “suicide coup” aimed at undermining his popularity.
General Juan José Zúñiga Macías has been charged with terrorism and armed rebellion, prosecutor César Siles announced. General Zúñiga claims he was following orders from President Luis Arce after brief riots in La Paz on Wednesday. Just before his arrest, the former army commander claimed, “The president told me the situation was terrible and that he needed to do something to boost his popularity.”
If Zuniga is found guilty, he faces 15 to 20 years in prison for the terrorism charge and five to 15 years for the armed insurrection charge.
Siles said his office had requested that Zuniga be detained for six months and that other government agencies, including the Defense and Interior ministries, supported the request “given the importance and seriousness of the events that took place.”
“This preventive detention ordered by the judge will undoubtedly set a precedent and send a positive signal for the investigation moving forward,” Siles said.
In an interview with The Associated Press, President Arce again denied that the attack on the government palace was a “suicide bombing,” saying: “I did not flee, I stayed to defend democracy.”
Arce on Friday alleged that Zúñiga had intended to take over the government and become president after Wednesday’s incident in which heavily armed forces stormed a government building in La Paz and were then forced to retreat.
Wednesday’s brief and still unexplained insurrection lasted just over three hours and reportedly left 12 people injured. Witnessed 190 revolutions and coups Since independence in 1825.
Bolivia, a landlocked country of about 12.5 million people, is suffering from a severe economic crisis, with gas exports plummeting and social unrest on the rise. To make matters worse, a fierce power struggle is underway between President Arce and former President Evo Morales, who helped win President Arce’s election in 2020. Both men have announced their intention to run for president in next year’s election as members of their own party, the Socialist Movement (MAS).
In an interview with The Associated Press, President Arce denied that the Andean country was suffering from an economic crisis but said infighting with President Morales was disrupting legislative activity and hindering government efforts to address economic problems.
Arce said the government “has taken steps” to address intermittent gasoline and dollar shortages and other problems plaguing the South American economy.
“Bolivia’s economy is growing. An economy in crisis cannot grow,” he said.
Arce said his government was working to “diversify” production, investing in lithium and industrialization. Bolivia has the world’s largest lithium reserves, which remain largely untapped due in part to government policies.
Associated Press and Reuters
