Coup d'état in Bolivia: what we know so far

In the afternoon hours of this Wednesday, Juan José Zúñiga, until a few minutes ago commander of the Bolivian Army, rebelled together with a representation of soldiers in an attempted coup d'état that was failing as we prepared this last minute information. Forces under his command took the symbolic Plaza Murillo, at the back of which is located the Great House of the People, seat of the Executive, whose entrance they forced with the help of a high-armored military vehicle. Zúñiga demanded the release of "political prisoners" and criticized the current political trends, speaking of the need to "recover the country", a classic rhetoric of coup leaders.

"The Armed Forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy. Not for a few, not for some owners who already have 30, 40 years managing the country," he said in clear reference to the ruling political bloc. In the last days, the Army commander had adopted a position that clearly indicated that he did not fit anytime more within the Executive, no matter that the target of his threats was the former President Evo Morales, at odds with President Luis Arce despite having been his mentor. Arce reacted quickly, calling on the population to defend democracy—which could have turned into a new bloodbath—and dismissed Zúñiga. The new Army commander ordered the withdrawal of the mobilized troops, with the coup leader being the first to abandon his position in the Plaza Murillo.

In any case, Arce's administration is under maximum pressure from long time now, with claims from several sectors such as the agrarian, which two weeks ago interrupted the transit through a strategic highway and threatened to take over oil wells. There are tensions with the transport sector as well, which demands the normalization of fuel distribution. The population, for its part, is fed up with the high cost of living in the country. "We are holding a vigil, if the government does not meet our demand we will take over the oil field and close valves. We are tired of promises", said neighbors a few days ago. This added to the referred conflict that Arce maintains with Evo Morales, which has split the ruling party in two, reducing its muscle to advance key legislation in Congress.