Bolivia Thwarts Coup Attempt Amid Political Turmoil

The Bolivian government prevented a coup attempt when military commander Juan Jose Zuniga and his troops forced their way into the presidential palace. Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo confirmed the incident and the arrest of Zuniga. President Luis Arce condemned the failed coup and swiftly installed a new top general.

The Bolivian government had intelligence that a coup attempt could occur before the country's top military commander and his troops forced their way into the presidential palace, a senior government minister said on Thursday. The failed coup on Wednesday happened over a few hours and provoked swift condemnations from world leaders, raising fears that democracy in the Andean nation remains at risk.

In an interview with local broadcaster Unitel, Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo said that President Luis Arce had received reports about "destabilization attempts," though he cautioned that the government did not know more at the time. The mobilization of military units on Wednesday saw the country's military commander gather troops in the main square of capital La Paz, ramming a palace door with an armored vehicle to allow soldiers to rush into the building.

The soldiers ultimately withdrew and police regained control of the plaza, with Arce slamming the coup attempt and swiftly naming a new top general. The former commander, Juan Jose Zuniga, was arrested as well as former Navy commander Juan Arnez Salvador, del Castillo said, noting that about a dozen military officers have been detained and could face prison terms of between 15 and 30 years.

Zuniga had recently said that Arce's former mentor-turned-political-rival, ex-President Evo Morales, should not be able to run again for president and threatened to block him if he attempted to do so. The commander had been told on Tuesday evening that he would be stripped of his position as his conduct "was not in line with the Constitution," according to del Castillo.

He recalled that Zuniga reacted calmly to the news. "But no one could have imagined that the next day, before the official handover in posts, there would be a failed coup in our country," he said.

Late Wednesday, Minister of the Presidency Maria Nela Prada told reporters that Zuniga confessed to police and said the coup attempt failed because reinforcements did not arrive in time. But as he was being arrested, Zuniga publicly said that he had been instructed to carry out the coup at Arce's direction in order to boost the president's popularity, which Prada later denied.

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