Supporters of Bolivia鈥檚 president rallied outside his palace on Thursday after a failed coup attempt a day earlier, giving some political breathing room to the embattled leader of this as they chanted pro-democracy slogans.
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, seizing control of the capital鈥檚 main square with armored vehicles, crashing a tank into the presidential palace and unleashing tear gas on protesters. Three hours later, the army general who led the attempted coup was in custody.
On Thursday, riot police guarded the palace doors and Arce 鈥� who has struggled to manage the country鈥檚 shortages of foreign currency and fuel 鈥� condemned the now-ousted Bolivian army chief, Gen. Juan Jos茅 Z煤帽iga.
Analysts say that the surge of public support for Arce, even if fleeting, provides him with a much-needed reprieve from the country鈥檚 economic quagmire and political turmoil. The president is locked in a deepening rivalry with the popular former President Evo Morales, his erstwhile ally who has threatened to challenge Arce in 2025 primaries.
鈥淭he president鈥檚 management has been very bad, there are no dollars, there is no petrol,鈥� said La Paz-based political analyst Paul Coca. 鈥淵esterday鈥檚 military move is going to help his image a bit, but it鈥檚 no solution.鈥�
Some protesters gathered outside the police station where the former army general was being detained, shouting that he should go to jail. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a shame what Z煤帽iga did,鈥� said 47-year-old Dora Quispe, one of the demonstrators. 鈥淲e are in a democracy, not a dictatorship.鈥�
Before his arrest late Wednesday, Z煤帽iga alleged without providing evidence that Arce had ordered the general to carry out the coup attempt in a ruse to boost the president鈥檚 popularity. That fueled a frenzy of speculation about what really happened, and opposition senators and government critics echoed the accusations, calling the mutiny a 鈥渟elf-coup鈥� 鈥� a claim strongly denied by Arce鈥檚 government.
In La Paz鈥檚 main Plaza Murillo, supporters addressed Arce, yelling 鈥淟ucho, you are not alone!鈥� as fireworks exploded overhead. Lucho, a common nickname for Luis, also means 鈥渇ight鈥� in Spanish.
Some Bolivians said they believed Gen. Z煤帽iga鈥檚 allegations on national TV that the coup attempt was a hoax.
鈥淭hey are playing with the intelligence of the people, because nobody believes that it was a real coup,鈥� said 48-year-old lawyer Evaristo Mamani.
Lawmakers and former officials also bolstered the allegations. 鈥淭his has been a setup,鈥� said Carlos Romero, a former official in the Morales government. 鈥淶煤帽iga followed the script as he was ordered.鈥�
Soon after the military action was underway, it became clear that any attempted takeover had no meaningful political support. The rebellion ended bloodlessly by the end of the business day. Arce named a new army commander, who immediately ordered troops to retreat.
鈥淗ere we are, firm, in the presidential palace, to confront any coup attempt,鈥� Arce said after facing down Z煤帽iga. Hundreds of surged into streets surrounding the palace Wednesday night, singing the national anthem and cheering for Arce.
Authorities swiftly arrested Z煤帽iga as his soldiers retreated from central La Paz.
The U.S. deputy secretary of state for management, Rich Verma, condemned Zuniga鈥檚 actions and speaking in Paraguay on Thursday noted that 鈥渄emocracy remains fragile in our hemisphere.鈥�
The short-lived mutiny followed months of mounting tensions between Arce and ex-President Morales, Bolivia鈥檚 first Indigenous president. Morales has staged a dramatic political comeback since mass protests and a deadly crackdown prompted him to resign and flee in 2019 鈥� a military-backed ouster that his supporters decry as a coup.
Morales has vowed to run against Arce in 2025 elections despite a constitutional court ruling that said he was ineligible because he had already served. The possibility of Morales running again has rattled Arce, whose popularity has plunged as the country鈥檚 foreign currency reserves dwindle, its natural gas exports plummet and its currency peg to the U.S. dollar collapses.
The cash crunch has ramped up pressure on Arce to scrap food and fuel subsidies that have put a strain on state finances, a combustible move ahead of elections.
Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said Wednesday鈥檚 turmoil had its roots in a private meeting Tuesday in which Arce dismissed Zu帽iga over the army chief鈥檚 threats to arrest Morales if he proceeded to join the 2025 race. Arce has also denied the legitimacy of Morales鈥� presidential bid.
In their meeting, Zu帽iga gave officials no indication he was preparing to seize power, Novillo said.
鈥淗e admitted that he had committed some excesses,鈥� he said of Zu帽iga. 鈥淲e said goodbye in the most friendly way, with hugs. Zu帽iga said that he would always be at the side of the president.鈥�
Mere hours later, panic gripped the capital of La Paz. Tailed by armored vehicles and supporters, Zu帽iga burst into government headquarters and declared the armed forces sought 鈥渢o restore Bolivia鈥檚 democracy.鈥�
The influx of soldiers sent Bolivians into a frenzy, thronging ATMs, queuing outside gas stations and ransacking grocery stores. By one count, Bolivia has had and revolutions since its 1825 independence.
The country鈥檚 fragmented opposition rejected the coup before it was clear it had failed. Former interim President Jeanine 脕帽ez, detained for her role in Morales鈥� 2019 ouster, said that soldiers sought to 鈥渄estroy the constitutional order,鈥� but appealed to both Arce and Morales not to run in the 2025 elections.
Santa Cruz Gov. Luis Fernando Camacho, also detained for allegedly orchestrating a coup in 2019, demanded answers from Arce鈥檚 government on Thursday.
鈥淲as it a media spectacle put on by the government itself, as General Z煤帽iga says? Was it just some military madness? Was it simply another example of lack of control?鈥� he wrote on social media platform X.
Z煤帽iga鈥檚 answer came as a shock, telling reporters that Arce had asked him directly to storm the palace and bring armored vehicles into downtown La Paz.
鈥淭he president told me: 鈥楾he situation is very screwed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity,鈥欌�� Z煤帽iga alleged the Bolivian leader told him.
Bolivian officials have denied Z煤帽iga鈥檚 claims, insisting the general was lying to justify his actions. Prosecutors said they鈥檇 seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Z煤帽iga on charges of 鈥渁ttacking the constitution.鈥�
Political experts struggling to comprehend the reasons behind Wednesday鈥檚 turmoil.
鈥淭his is the weirdest coup attempt I have ever seen,鈥� said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivia-based research group. 鈥淏olivia鈥檚 democracy remains very fragile, and definitely a great deal more fragile today than it was yesterday.鈥�
