Armored vehicles stormed the doors of Bolivia’s government building on Wednesday, led by a top official vowing to “restore democracy.” The president called it an attempted coup and retreated quickly afterwards, the latest crisis in the South American country facing political strife and economic crisis.
Within hours, the nation of 12 million watched as the military seized control of President Luis Arce’s government.
He vowed to take a firm stance and appointed a new military commander, who immediately ordered his troops to withdraw.
The soldiers quickly withdrew along with a convoy of military vehicles, ending the rebellion after just three hours.
Hundreds of President Arce’s supporters later gathered in the plaza outside the palace, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.
After the soldiers withdrew, the Attorney General launched an investigation which led to the arrest of Army commander General Juan José Zúñiga.
Government minister Eduardo del Castillo said that in addition to Zuniga, former Navy vice admiral Juan Arnes Salvador had also been detained.
“What was the objective of this group? To overthrow democratically elected power,” del Castillo told reporters in announcing the arrests.
“Everything is now under control,” Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said late on Wednesday. Surrounded by new military commanders appointed by President Arce, Novillo said Bolivia had experienced a “failed coup.”
The attempted coup came after months of tensions and political fighting between Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist President Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party.
It also came in the midst of a severe economic crisis.
The clashes have paralyzed the government’s efforts to tackle the economic crisis.
For example, President Morales’ allies in Congress have consistently blocked President Arce’s attempts to borrow money to relieve pressure.
Referring to the paralysis during the rebellion, Zuniga told reporters the military was tired of the infighting and wanted to “restore democracy.”
“We are listening to the cries of the people because for so many years the elite have been ruling the country,” he said, adding that politicians are “destroying the country. Think about the situation we are in, the crisis they have put us in.”
“The military is going to restore democracy and make it a real democracy,” he said.
The fast-spreading crisis began in the early afternoon when soldiers began filling the streets of La Paz.
President Arce tweeted that the military deployment was irregular, and he and other politicians soon warned of a coup attempt.
Yet this apparent attempt to unseat the sitting president appears to lack any meaningful support, with even President Arce’s rivals united in defending democracy and rejecting the uprising.
Unexpectedly, before his arrest, Zúñiga told reporters that President Arce himself had ordered the generals to storm the palace as a political move.
“The president told me: ‘The situation is very bad, very critical. I need to prepare something to increase my popularity,'” Zúñiga quoted the Bolivian leader as saying.
Zuniga said he asked Arce if they should remove the armored vehicles, to which Arce replied, “Remove them.”
Justice Minister Ivan Lima denied General Zuniga’s allegations, saying the general was lying and trying to justify his actions and that he would be brought to justice for his actions.
President Lima said on social media platform X that prosecutors would seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years for Zuniga, accusing him of “attacking democracy and the constitution.”
The scenes shocked Bolivians accustomed to political instability, which led to the ouster of President Morales in 2019 following an earlier political crisis.
As the crisis unfolded on Wednesday, President Arce confronted President Zúñiga in a palace corridor, as footage shown on Bolivian television showed.
“I am your commanding officer. I order my soldiers to withdraw. This insubordination will not be tolerated,” Arce said.
Flanked by his ministers, he added: “We will remain firm in Casa Grande and will fight any coup attempts. We need the unity of the Bolivian people.”
Less than an hour later, President Arce announced new heads of the army, navy and air force to cheers from his supporters, and thanked police and regional allies for supporting him.
President Arce said the mutinous soldiers were “disgracing the uniform” of the military.
“I am ordering all those who have been mobilized to return to their units,” said the newly appointed Army commander, Gen. Jose Wilson Sanchez. “We do not want to see what we see on the streets.”
Soon after, armored vehicles roared out of the square, followed by hundreds of military fighters as police in riot gear set up a cordon outside the government palace.
The incident drew outrage from other regional leaders, including the Organization of American States, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, the leader of Honduras and a former leader of Bolivia.
Gustavo Flores Macias, a professor of government and public policy at Cornell University specializing in Latin America, said it was important for world leaders and organizations to continue to condemn the attempted coup as events unfold.
“If we allow the suspension of constitutional order in Bolivia, it could have a demonstration effect,” Flores Macias said in an interview with The Associated Press in New York.
“If it’s OK for this to happen in Bolivia, it could be a signal that it can happen elsewhere.”
Protests have intensified in Bolivia in recent months over a country that was one of the continent’s fastest growing two decades ago but has since seen its economy decline and become one of the most vulnerable.
Arce and Morales have been battling over the future of Bolivia’s splintered Movement for Socialism, known by its Spanish acronym MAS, ahead of 2025 elections.
Following Wednesday’s unrest, local media reports said Bolivians were stockpiling food and other necessities in supermarkets, worried about what would come next.
But speaking to supporters outside the presidential palace, the country’s Vice President, David Choquehuanca, vowed that “the Bolivian people will never tolerate another coup attempt.”
