Morales, Arce Lead Demonstration Condemning Coup Attempts
Bolivian leader Evo Morales and resident Luis Arce lead a demonstration in La Paz supporting the government and denouncing the coup attempts.
President Luis Arce and Bolivian leader Evo Morales led demonstrations in the capital of La Paz on Monday in support of the government and rejection of the coup attempts.
Thousands of government supporters and members of the Bolivian social movement participated in the demonstration, pledging to defend democracy and warning they would not allow another coup to occur.
Arce addressed the demonstrators and vowed that this is not the end, but the beginning, commending people for not only defending their voices and democracy but sending a message to right-wing citizens that no coup would be allowed.
Morales, when addressing the demonstrators, expressed that he had suffered a coup in Bolivia and was unforgiven for preserving the sovereignty and dignity of the country.
Luis Arce won the presidential election on October 19, 2020. His victory came a year after Morales resigned following a coup led by the right-wing opposition. Morales was falsely accused at the time of rigging the elections that won him a fourth term.
The resignation was followed by the violent repression of supporters of Morales, which was launched by the interim government of Jeanine Áñez who took over the reins of power until the new presidential elections.
At the time, Morales announced that he was forced to resign after a US-backed coup, which aspires to access the vast resources of lithium owned by Bolivia.