Bolivian president denies being behind coup attempt, says general acted ‘on his own accord’

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s President Luis Arce denied Thursday that he was behind a coup attempt against him and said the general who apparently led it “acted on his own leader,” lambasting accusations that he called for mutiny in a bid to increase his popularity.

In his first appearance before the press after the coup’s apparent failure, Arce called suggestions of a self-coup “lies,” and added: “I’m not a man policy which will gain its popularity thanks to the blood of the people. »

Arce said hours later his government announced that a total of 17 people had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the government’s attempted takeover, including army chief Gen. Juan José Zúñiga , and former Navy Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador, who had been detained the day before.

The president said that not only military officers were involved in this project, but also retirees from the army and civil society. He did not give further details.

Zúñiga will be investigated and “will be brought to justice,” he added.

On Thursday morning, some of his supporters gathered outside the presidential palace, giving the embattled leader some political breathing space as authorities made new arrests in a failed coup that has rocked the country. economically distressed country a day earlier.

The South American nation of 12 million watched in shock and bewilderment Wednesday as military forces appeared to turn on the government of President Luis Arce, taking control of the capital’s main square with armored vehicles, repeatedly crashing a small tank into the presidential palace and pouring tear gas on protesters.

Eduardo del Castillo, a senior government official, did not give details of the other 15 people arrested, only identifying a civilian, Aníbal Aguilar Gómez, as one of the key “ideologues” of the foiled coup. . He said the alleged conspirators began plotting in May.

Riot police guarded the palace gates and Arce, who is struggling to cope with the country’s shortages of foreign currency and fuel, appeared on the presidential balcony as his supporters took to the streets singing the national anthem and cheering as fireworks exploded overhead. “No one can take democracy away from us,” he shouted.

Bolivians reacted by chanting: “Lucho, you are not alone!” » Lucho, Luis’ common nickname, also means “to fight” in Spanish.

Analysts say the surge in public support for Arce, even if fleeting, offers him a respite from the country’s economic quagmire and political turmoil. in a growing rivalry with popular former president Evo Moraleshis former ally who threatened to challenge Arce in 2025.

“The president’s management has been very bad, there are no dollars, there is no gasoline,” said La Paz-based political analyst Paul Coca. “Yesterday’s military decision will improve its image a little, but it doesn’t matter.

Before his arrest Wednesday night, Zúñiga had claimed, without providing evidence, that Arce had ordered the general to carry out the coup attempt in order to boost the president’s popularity. That has fueled speculation about what really happened. Opposition senators and government critics have joined the chorus, calling the mutiny a “self-coup” — a claim Arce’s government strongly denies.

“What we’ve seen is extremely unusual for a coup in Latin America, and it’s raising red flags,” said Diego von Vacano, an expert on Bolivian politics at Texas A&M University and a former informal adviser to the President Arce. “Arce looked like a victim yesterday and a hero today, defending democracy.”

Some Bolivians said they believed Zúñiga’s allegations.

“They are playing with the intelligence of the people, because no one believes that this is a real coup,” said Evaristo Mamani, a 48-year-old lawyer.

Lawmakers and former officials, particularly those allied with Morales, have echoed the allegations. “This is a set-up,” said Carlos Romero, a former Morales government official. “Zúñiga followed the script as ordered.”

Soon after the military maneuver began, it became clear that any attempt to seize power had no significant political support. The rebellion ended bloodlessly by the end of the day. In an extraordinary scene, Arce argued violently with Zúñiga and his allies face to face in the square in front of the palace before going inside to appoint a new army commander.

Speaking in Paraguay on Thursday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Management Rich Verma condemned Zúñiga, saying that “democracy remains fragile in our hemisphere.”

The short-lived mutiny follows months of growing tensions between Arce and Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president. Morales has staged a dramatic political comeback since mass protests and a deadly crackdown forced him to resign and flee in 2019 — a military-backed overthrow that his supporters denounce as a coup.

Morales has promised to run against Arce in 2025, a prospect that has shaken Arce, whose popularity has plunged as the country’s foreign currency reserves dwindle, its natural gas exports plummet and its currency peg to the American dollar is collapsing.

Morales’s allies in Congress have made it nearly impossible for Arce to govern. The financial crisis has increased pressure on Arce to remove food and oil subsidies that have depleted state finances.

Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo told reporters that Zuñiga’s coup attempt originated in a private meeting Tuesday in which Arce fired Zuñiga following the army chief’s threats on national television to arrest Morales if he joined the 2025 race.

But Zuñiga gave no indication to officials that he was preparing to take power, Novillo said.

“He admitted to having committed excesses,” he said of Zuñiga. “We said goodbye in the most friendly way, with hugs. Zuñiga said he would always stand by the president.”

A few hours later, panic gripped the capital La Paz. Surrounded by armored vehicles and his supporters, Zuñiga burst into the government headquarters, sending Bolivians into a frenzy. Crowds gathered at ATMs, lined up outside gas stations and ransacked grocery stores.

The country’s fragmented opposition rejected the coup even before it was clear it had failed. Former interim President Jeanine Áñez, detained for her role in Morales’ 2019 oustersaid the soldiers sought to “destroy the constitutional order,” but called on Arce and Morales not to run in the 2025 elections.

In his speech after the palace storming, Zúñiga called for the release of political prisoners, including Áñez and the powerful governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, also detained for allegedly orchestrating a coup in 2019.

Before being arrested, Zúñiga told reporters that Arce had directly asked him to storm the palace and bring armored vehicles into downtown La Paz.

“The president told me: ‘The situation is very bad, very critical. We have to prepare something to increase my popularity,'” Zúñiga said.

Even if proven false, the accusations of Arce’s involvement have caused confusion and threatened to cause further chaos.

“Was it a media spectacle organized by the government itself, as General Zúñiga says? Was it just military madness? Was it just another example of lack of control?” Camacho wrote on the social media platform X.

Bolivian authorities claimed the general lied to justify his actions. Prosecutors said they would seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison against Zúñiga for “undermining the constitution” pending further investigations.

But democracy advocates have already expressed doubts about the reliability of a government-led investigation.

“Judicial independence is virtually nonexistent, the credibility of the judiciary is at stake,” said Juan Pappier, deputy Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Not only do we not know today what happened, we probably never will.”

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DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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