Bolivian Pres: Failed coup leader wanted to take over as president
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Bolivian President Luis Arce announced that the general behind the failed coup was eyeing the presidency.
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Bolivia's President Luis Arce speaks during an interview at the government palace, in La Paz, Bolivia, on June 28, 2024. (AP)
On Friday, Bolivian President Luis Acre announced that the former general who led the coup attempt on him had planned to "take over" the government and become president, denying that the Andean nation suffered from an economic crisis.
In an interview with The Associated Press (AP), the leader denied once again that Wednesday's attack on the government's palace was described as a "self-coup" designed to garner him political points.
“I didn’t escape. I stayed to defend democracy,” Arce said.
Arce absolved himself of the claims made by the relatives of the 21 people detained by the government, who insisted they were innocent of attempting a coup and had been misled by former General Juan Jose Zuniga.
“It’s a problem of those who were involved, it’s not the government’s problem,” Arce told AP.
The president added that his government has been “politically attacked” by his former ally-turned-rival, ex-President Evo Morales, noting that the infighting has disrupted legislative activities and his administration's efforts to address economic issues.
Despite this, he stated that Bolivia's economy is growing and that his administration was working to “diversify” production by investing in areas like lithium and promoting industrialization. Bolivia possesses the largest reserves of lithium — a metal known as “white gold” and considered essential for the green transition — in the world, which has largely remained untapped, partly due to government policy.
He added that the government was investigating whether the attack was organized by the country's political opposition. On the same day, Arce’s government minister, Eduardo del Castillo, stated that the government believed “snipers did not arrive in time at Murillo Square,” where the coup was staged.
Failed coup
Earlier on Wednesday, June 26, Arce denounced the "irregular mobilization" of certain army units in La Paz, while former leader Evo Morales accused a senior general of conspiring to stage a coup.
Videos shared on social media showed heavily armed soldiers and armored vehicles gathering in La Paz's central Plaza Murillo.
"The three chiefs of the armed forces have come to express our dismay. There will be a new cabinet of ministers, surely things will change, but our country cannot continue like this any longer," General Juan Jose Zuniga told a local TV station.
On June 27, the Bolivian Prosecutor's Office announced the initiation of criminal investigations against Zuniga and other individuals involved in the coup attempt.
"The prosecutor general has instructed that a criminal investigation against General Juan Jose Zuniga and other participants in the action be launched," the office stated.
According to the director of Al Mayadeen Español, General Zuniga was arrested shortly after.
