He Bolivian President Luis Arce denounced a military uprising that quickly alarmed the entire region. In dialogue with Infobae Peruthe internationalist Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Mackay shed light on the impact; as well as whether Peru could experience something similar given the constant confrontations between the Executive and other powers of State.
“Coups d’état in Latin America are a thing of the past. Latin America does not evolve democratically with this. Any expression that is made in a marginal act to Bolivian democracy must be condemned, whether today it is a left-wing government like that of Luis Arce or a right-wing government that could come at some point in this brother country,” he said.
Under his consideration, it is unlikely that a figure of this type could occur in the country, since “we have been showing an exemplary position”, as with the failed coup d’état given by Pedro Castillo, in which the Peruvian Armed Forces did not support the breakdown of the democratic regime.
“I think that Peru is very far from what is happening to Bolivia, but at the same time very close to the threat. We have to be very prepared so that these very bad visions could truly infect Latin American spaces. However, in my opinion there is no objective and immediate material visible element that could pose a threat to Peru, this is circumscribed,” he insisted.
At approximately 3 p.m., a tank knocked down the doors of the Executive headquarters and entered after the general commander of that country’s Army, Juan José Zuñiga, threatened to take the Government headquarters and change the cabinet. In response, President Luis Arce denounced the “irregular mobilization” of the troops, while former president Evo Morales – former ally, considered his political mentor and now declared enemy – warned about the preparation of a coup d’état.
The conflict reached its peak when the recently dismissed head of the Army, Juan José Zúñiga, directly confronted President Arce. “Follow my order, captain, and return to the barracks immediately,” Arce ordered, to which Zúñiga refused. The troops remained in the square for a few hours, and fear began to take over the Bolivians. However, as time went by, the troops began to retreat.
From China, the Peruvian foreign minister spoke about the situation that Bolivia is going through and rejected any attempt to alter the democratic order. “In addition to the Presidency’s pronouncement, other and additional measures are being evaluated,” the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told RPP News.
“The president has not yet been able to communicate with President Arce. “We are evaluating communications, first, at the level of chancellors and, subsequently, if relevant, at the level of presidents,” she added.
Through its social networks, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry made available to Peruvians in Bolivia the emergency contacts of the Peruvian Consulates in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.
“The Peruvian community is reminded that, in case of emergency, you can contact the Consulates General at the following numbers and emails,” the institution’s message reads.
