Bolivia’s Military Breaches Presidential Palace With Troops, Tank—What We Know About The Potential Coup

 

Soldiers stand guard outside the presidential palace in Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Bolivia

Bolivian Army forces surrounded government buildings in the country’s capital of La Paz on Wednesday, according to multiple outlets, breaching Bolivia’s presidential palace with the help of an armored vehicle and receiving condemnation from President Luis Arce, who is resisting what he called an attempted coup.

KEY FACTS

General Juan José Zúñiga, who was stripped of his command last week, did not say he was spearheading a coup, telling journalists before entering the presidential palace that the army sought to restore democracy and free political prisoners, according to the Associated Press.

Arce confronted Zuñiga in the palace, ordering the general to withdraw his soldiers, the Associated Press reported, and Zuñiga said he still recognizes Arce as Bolivia’s commander-in-chief “for now.”

Military leadership appointed by Arce during the incident ordered the Zuñiga-led troops to return home, according to Reuters, which noted soldiers and armored vehicles began pulling out of the area following the confrontation, citing an eyewitness account.

Former President Evo Morales tweeted Wednesday that a coup was brewing, following up the post with a call to prosecute Zuñiga and “his accomplices.”

Political tensions have come to a boiling point in Bolivia as Morales plans a run against Arce for president, which has sparked division in the country’s dominant socialist party, Reuters reported, adding that Bolivia is also facing a financial crisis fueled by dwindling gas exports and depleted central bank reserves.

TANGENT

Paraguay President Santiago Peña condemned the army mobilization, calling for rebels to “respect democracy and the rule of law” in a tweet.

KEY BACKGROUND

Zuñiga was stripped by Arce of his military command last week, allegedly after comments Zuñiga made against Morales, who was Bolivia’s president from 2006 to 2019 and is a mentor of Arce, according to The New York Times. Morales, who was accused of rigging votes in Bolivia’s 2019 election, stepped down as president that year after he was pressured by Bolivia's army chief to do so. Former interim President Jeanine Áñez held power for a year until Arce was elected in a re-run election. Añez has since been jailed and is one of the political prisoners Zuñiga sought to free from captivity, according to BBC News.