“LThe Armed Forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy, not of a few, not of some owners who have already been running the country for 30 or 40 years.”, said this Wednesday outside the Government Palace in La Paz, the commander of the Bolivian Army, the General Juan José Zúñiga.
This high-ranking soldier is the one who at this time leads the troops of the Bolivian army to Plaza Murillo in their attempt to take over the presidential headquarters. Incidentally, international correspondents in the area reported that a tank forced its way into the Executive building.
Shortly after, the agency AFP He reported that the military withdrew from the main square.
When the press asked him if it was a coup d’état, he limited himself to stating that “they are going to recover democracy.” While Zuñiga was speaking, the firing of tear gas bombs could be heard in the background in the main square of La Paz.
The Armed Forces intend to restructure democracy, to make it a true democracy, not of a few, not of some owners who have been running the country for 30 or 40 years.
So things, General Zúñiga stars in one of the most critical episodes in recent Bolivian politics. In fact, since the beginning of this week he had already raised the tension to the maximum by launching harsh criticism against the former president. Evo Morales and threatening to take over the presidency.
In an interview on Monday with a television channel, 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 during that journalistic talk.
Due to these statements, since this Tuesday rumors began to circulate about the probable dismissal of the head of the Army, in office since November 2022, and who is categorically opposed to Morales.
According to the Bolivian newspaper Dutywhen Zúñiga took office in 2022, he was accused of allegedly embezzling at least 2.7 million Bolivians from the country’s Armed Forces. Evo even accused him of being behind a plot to carry out “a black plan” against him.
For now, Luis Arce, the president of Bolivia, appointed new commanders of the Bolivian Army in the midst of a military movement that he described as a “coup d’état” by Zúñiga.
Military near the presidential headquarters of Bolivia
Photo:Private file
International rejection by the Organization of American States (OAS) of the attempted coup d’état 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.”after the deployment of soldiers in front of the Government headquarters in La Paz.
“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.
Likewise, he expressed his “solidarity” with the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce Catacora.
“The international community, the OAS, the General Secretariat of the OAS, will not tolerate any form of violation of the legitimate constitutional order in Bolivia or anywhere else,” added the official, while the dialogue with permanent observers of the OAS.
The former Uruguayan foreign minister also referred to the events that occurred in Bolivia in his official X account.
“The Army must submit to the legitimately elected civil power,” the diplomat published.
At the OAS meeting, Bolivian representative Héctor Arce warned the international community of an “emergency situation” in his country and asked that the situation be treated “with due responsibility and seriousness.”
Other attendees at the forum expressed their condemnation of the events and expressed their support for the Government chaired by Arce.
CARLOS JOSÉ REYES GARCÍA
INTERNATIONAL DEPUTY EDITOR
TIME
