The former Heads of Bolivia’s army and navy are among a dozen people so far arrested for their alleged roles in a failed military coup designed to topple the South American country’s leftwing President, Luis Arce.
Speaking on Thursday, Bolivia’s Minister of government, Eduardo Del Castillo, accused the former army chief Gen Juan José Zúñiga Macías and the former head of the navy, R Adm Juan Arnez Salvador of leading a group of putschists who had “conspired to bring down a democratically elected government.”
“They will be charged with crimes that could see them jailed for between 15 and 30 years,” Del Castillo disclosed, promising to reveal more details of the recent events later in the day.
The Minister claimed conspirators had been plotting “this attempt to destroy democracy” for at least three weeks before security forces seized control of the historic Plaza Murillo in La Paz and forced their way into the government palace known as the Palacio Quemado.
In his television interview, Del Castillo claimed that on Tuesday night, the eve of the alleged revolt, Arce and Zúñiga had met in the presence of another senior minister and that the President had informed the army chief he was being relieved of his duties because his conduct “was not in line with the political constitution.”
“No problem … I’m a soldier of this homeland … and will carry out whatever orders you give me,” Zúñiga supposedly replied.
Del Castillo claimed the two men then embraced, adding, “Nobody could have imagined that the next day … our country would see a failed coup attempt.”
Before retreating from the scene in a bulletproof vehicle and being taken into custody, Zúñiga told reporters his aim was to establish “a true democracy.”
Adding to the confusion were comments made by Zúñiga in the moments before he was detained, in which the ex-army chief appeared to accuse Arce of staging a sham coup in order to boost his flagging popularity.
“The President told me the situation was fucked and that he needed something to boost his popularity,” Zúñiga said, without providing evidence.
On Thursday, some Morales allies and opposition figures used social media to promote conspiracy theories about Arce being responsible for the supposedly bogus military rebellion.
Alejandro Reyes, an opposition congressman from the Comunidad Ciudadana coalition, demanded a parliamentary inquiry into claims that Arce had himself orchestrated an “autogolpe” (self-coup).
“There are indications and declarations that indicate the involvement of the government,” Reyes said.
María Nela Prada, the Minister for the presidency, rejected such claims.
“This absolutely false … these are things that I find utterly inconceivable,” she said.
Deisy Choque, a Mas lawmaker, hailed President Arce as a hero.
“He will never be seen as a coward or a traitor – he stood up to the coup attempt and democracy triumphed,” Choque said.
Arce’s Supporters Rally Outside Palace
Supporters of Bolivia’s President, Luis Arce rallied outside his palace on Thursday after a failed coup attempt a day earlier
On Thursday, riot police guarded the palace doors and Arce — who has struggled to manage the country’s shortages of foreign currency and fuel — condemned the now-ousted Bolivian army chief, Gen. Juan José Zúñiga.
Analysts say that the surge of public support for Arce, even if fleeting, provides him with a much-needed reprieve from the country’s 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.
“The President’s management has been very bad, there are no dollars, there is no petrol,” said La Paz-based political analyst Paul Coca.
He added, “Yesterday’s military move is going to help his image a bit, but it’s no solution.”
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