Several tanks and heavily armed soldiers took over the square in front of the headquarters of the Bolivian Executive this Wednesday. and they knocked down the doors of the Government Palace to enter by force after the General Commander of the Army, Juan José Zuñiga, threatened to take the building.
According to Bolivian television, the officer entered the presidential palace building for a few moments before walking out while Several tanks and troops occupied Plaza Murillo, in the center of the Bolivian capital.
At the moment it is unknown if President Luis Arce is there, although the Bolivian media El Deber stated that Arce met with his cabinet via Zoom.
The president had earlier warned of “irregular mobilizations.” While the vice president of Bolivia, David Choquehuanca, has already denounced that a “coup d’état” is taking place against the Government of Luis Arce.
“We denounce irregular mobilizations of some units of the Bolivian Army. Democracy must be respected,” the president wrote on his social network X.
Before knocking down the doors of the palace, Colonel Juan José Zúñiga, general commander of the Army, stated before journalists that the military intended to recover the homeland.
“There will be a new cabinet of ministers, surely it will be changed, but our State cannot continue like this. “We want to recover our homeland, stop impoverishing our homeland,” said the soldier, which warned that the Army, the Air Force and the Armed Forces were mobilized in emergency due to the “outrages” against the military.
A soldier in an armored vehicle in the Plaza de Armas of La Paz.
Photo:AFP
Since Tuesday, rumors have been circulating about the probable dismissal of the officer, in office since November 2022, following statements against Evo Morales, once an ally of Arce and today his greatest political adversary.
In an interview on Monday with a television station, The head of the Army assured that he would arrest Morales if he insists on running for president in the 2025 elections, despite the fact that he was disqualified by the electoral justice system.
“Legally he is disqualified, that man can no longer be president of this country,” Zúñiga said.
Military personnel are present with tanks in front of the headquarters of the Government of Bolivia, this Wednesday in La Paz (Bolivia). The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, denounced this Wednesday “irregular movements” of the military in front of the Government headquarters in the city of La Paz, while citizens and local media reported the presence of tanks and heavily armed soldiers.
Photo:EFE/ Luis Gandarillas
Military tank enters by force
A tank knocked down the doors of the Bolivian Executive headquarters and entered at 3:51 p.m. local time, after the general commander of the Bolivian Army, Juan José Zuñiga, threatened to take the Government headquarters and change the cabinet.
Bolivian Foreign Minister denounces military mobilizations to the international community
The Foreign Minister of Bolivia, Celinda Sosa, denounced to the International community the “irregular” mobilizations of Army units that “attack democracy, peace and security of the country.”
“We call on the International Community, on the Bolivian population, to respect democratic values and support the Government of Luis Arce Catacora, constitutional and legitimate elected by the sovereign will of the Bolivian people,” said Sosa through a video uploaded to x.
Evo Morales denounces coup d’état
The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales denounced that at this moment a coup d’état is brewing due to the deployment of “personnel of the Armed Forces and tanks in Plaza Murillo.”
”We denounce that a Group of the Special Regiment of Challapata “Mendez Arcos” took over Plaza Murillo with snipers. This seems to indicate that they prepared in advance for the Coup d’état. I ask the people with a democratic vocation to defend the Homeland from some military groups that act against democracy and the people”.
OAS pronounces on situation in Bolivia
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, stated this Wednesday from Paraguay that the organization will not tolerate “any form of violation of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia.”
“The General Secretariat of the OAS condemns in the most forceful manner these actions of the Bolivian Army; it must submit to civil authority as mandated by the Inter-American Democratic Charter,” Almagro stated.
Evo Morales calls for indefinite strike
Faced with the coup attempt in Bolivia, former president Evo Morales called for a National Mobilization to defend Democracy.
“We declare an indefinite general strike and blockade of roads. We will not allow the Armed Forces to violate democracy and intimidate the people,” he wrote in X.
