Bolivian police arrested the mastermind of a coup attempt hours after soldiers stormed the presidential palace in La Paz.
Hundreds of troops and armored vehicles took up positions in Plaza Murillo, where the main government buildings are located. An armored vehicle broke down the main gate of the presidential palace and allowed soldiers to enter. They later all withdrew.
The rebel leader, General Juan José Zúñiga, said he wanted to “reconstruct democracy” and said the government would change, although he respected President Luis Arce for now.
He was later arrested seconds after telling reporters that the military had intervened at the president's request.
General Zuniga was dismissed from his position on Tuesday after making inflammatory remarks about Bolivia's former President Evo Morales in an interview the previous day.
President Arce condemned the coup attempt and urged the public to “organize and mobilize for democracy.”
“We cannot allow another coup attempt to take Bolivian lives,” he said in a televised message from the presidential palace.
His words clearly resonated with pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets to support the government.
In dramatic footage apparently filmed inside the presidential palace, President Arce can be seen confronting General Zuniga, ordering him to step down and demanding he step down.
He also announced the appointment of a new military commander, confirming reports that General Zúñiga was dismissed after publicly criticizing Mr. Morales.
President Morales, who has condemned the coup attempt, has called for criminal charges against the Zuniga general and his “accomplices.”
The prosecution began a criminal investigation. Bolivian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador was also arrested.
General Zuniga's exact motivation for the coup remains unclear.
He was fired after appearing on TV on Monday threatening to arrest Mr. Morales if he runs again next year, despite the former president's ban from running.
President Morales was ousted in 2019 and forced into exile in Mexico amid claims by military leaders that he was trying to manipulate the results of the presidential election.
In Plaza Murillo, which was occupied by the military, he accused the “elites” of taking over “the vandals who destroyed the country.”
But just before his arrest, the general told reporters that the president had ordered him to get out of the “blindado” (armored vehicle) in a bid to restore his fading popularity. He was bundled into a waiting police van seconds later.
Andrea Barrientos, a leading opposition senator, echoed his claims, suggesting that Prime Minister Arce had staged a “coup of his own” due to the economic and judicial crisis.
“The government has many questions to answer for the Bolivian people,” he added. “We need to explain the situation well. We will tell you that we need to investigate this in depth.”
