Arce calls for citizen mobilization

The Bolivian government was facing a possible coup d’état this Wednesday, after President Luis Arce denounced on his X account (formerly Twitter) “irregular mobilizations of some units of the Bolivian Army.”

Shortly afterwards, television images showed the deployment of uniformed personnel and armoured military vehicles in Murillo Square in La Paz, where the government headquarters and the legislature are located.

The footage showed several armoured military vehicles and a group of soldiers in front of the government headquarters, who later managed to enter the palace after forcing their way in.

The Government Palace was guarded by police units, while President Arce was inside along with the Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo.

The General Commander of the Army, Juan José Zúñiga, present in the same Plaza Murillo confirmed the mobilization of uniformed personnel and said: “We are upset by the outrage that exists, enough is enough.”

Without giving other details, he spoke on television about “attacks on democracy”, that “there will soon be a change of cabinet” and that “for now” he recognized President Arce as commander in chief of the Armed Forces.

Arce was later seen in television images confronting Zúñiga in the palace hallway. “I am his captain and I order him to withdraw his soldiers and I will not allow this insubordination.”

In a national message broadcast live, the Bolivian president insisted on calling for democracy with the support of social organizations. “We cannot allow coup attempts to take the lives of Bolivians once again,” he rejected.

Arce asked the people to mobilize against the military deployment. “We salute social organizations and cordially invite them to once again show the path of democracy,” he said.

Zuñiga said that the Bolivian army, air force and navy are garrisoned throughout the country.

“The three commanders of the forces are here, we have come to express our displeasure,” said Zuñiga. “The people are asking for enough, enough of the looting in our country, (…) enough of destroying our country.”

Despite this, Arce swore in new military leaders, Reuters reported.

Zúñiga spoke later in the midst of the deployment of military personnel in Plaza Murillo, whose accesses were blocked, and denounced that “an elite has taken over power, the State.”

He said the Armed Forces want to restructure democracy and called for the freedom of all political prisoners, mentioning former interim president Jeanine Áñez and Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of the wealthy province of Santa Cruz, both in prison.

“It cannot be that subordinates are imprisoned for having followed orders,” in relation to the trial and convictions against military leaders who participated in the 2019 political crisis that led to the resignation of President Evo Morales (2006-2019).

“We want to establish democracy,” the military command stressed about the fatigue of those in uniform with the decisions of the political class. The promotion lists in the Army are pending approval by the Legislature in the midst of the struggles between the sectors of the ruling party.

The day before, Commander Zúñiga said in a televised interview that if former president Evo Morales maintained his intentions to run for president again, they could arrest him.

Morales, who has publicly broken with Arce even though both belong to the same socialist movement, announced a national mobilization of his followers in a separate post on X and accused Zúñiga of instigating the coup.

“I ask the people with a democratic vocation to defend the Homeland from some military groups that act against democracy and the people,” said the former president.

Arce’s supporters gathered in the square and shouted slogans in his favor such as “I fight, you are not alone” or “Rifle, shrapnel, the people do not shut up.” The military fired tear gas to disperse them.

The Bolivian Workers’ Union (COB) declared a general strike and called on workers to “mobilize.”

[Con información de AP y Reuters]

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