Breaking news: Bolivia armed forces mobilize in La Paz as coup fears rise

[buritobr]

Worried about the situation of the democracy in Bolivia

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolivias-president-slams-irregular-mobilization-army-units-2024-06-26/

Bolivia armed forces mobilize in La Paz as coup fears rise

LA PAZ, June 26 (Reuters) - Bolivian President Luis Arce denounced the "irregular mobilization" of some army units in La Paz on Wednesday and former leader Evo Morales accused a top general of plotting a coup.
Heavily armed soldiers and armored vehicles were seen gathering in the capital's central Plaza Murillo, according to videos shared on social media.
"The three chiefs of the armed forces have come to express our dismay. There will be a new cabinet of ministers, surely things will change, but our country cannot continue like this any longer," General Juan Jose Zuniga told a local TV station.

[Punxsutawney Phil]

What sparked this?

[Enemy Of The State]

What sparked this?

Seems to be the classic example where a president with a weak hold on power tries to fire a troublesome general and the general responds by going "Actually I'm not fired, you're fired"

https://twitter.com/nachomdeo/status/1806060072864301114

[Lumine]

From what I understand, Evo Morales is keeping up his attempt to win a fourth mandate in 2025, which is part of the whole MAS psychodrama between him and his heir-turned-foe President Arce. The Constitutional Tribunal ruled Morales was barred from standing because the Constitution only allows two terms max and he's served three already (the third after a court ruled that term limits infringed his human rights), but he's still at it while the government is weakened through this internal split.

Morales and General Zúñiga, the Commander in Chief of the Army, had been having a bitter public spat for some time now, culminating in Zúñiga publically asserting that the army would stop and remove Morales if he was to become President again. It is alleged that President Arce sacked him last night given the nature of those comments.

Today, the Army began mobilizing, and Zúñiga is said to have entered the Presidential Palace with armed troops behind him. The rumor has it he spoke to President Arce for about 15 minutes, supposedly demanded the resignation of the Defense Minister, then stormed out of the Palace to an unknown location with no clarity as to what happened there. For now, Bolivian Army units keep mobilizing.

Very early, very unclear how this one will go. Condemnation to the coup attempt already coming from the MAS, moderate opposition, international community and various workers' organizations.

[MasterJedi]

What sparked this?

Can’t leave a liberal government in control of all that lithium.

[Oryxslayer]

What sparked this?

Can’t leave a liberal government in control of all that lithium.

It only took two good posts on the human factors, complex situation, and competing interests within the country before we got to the semi-conspiratorial. Good job everyone!

[Lumine]

A few more interesting details: General Zúñiga entered the Palace in an armored car, the encounter with the President took place in a crowded corridor amidst a shouting match.

President Arce remains in the palace, and has issued a video alongside the Cabinet denouncing the coup, while protesters and the military are said to be fighting in a neighboring square.

Speaking to reporters just now, General Zúñiga claims that the military is on alert, and that demands have been issued to the President, including a new cabinet and the release of "political prisoners", with explicit mentions to Camacho and former President Añez.

[TheTide]

What sparked this?

Can’t leave a liberal government in control of all that lithium.

It only took two good posts on the human factors, complex situation, and competing interests within the country before we got to the semi-conspiratorial. Good job everyone!

Worse is the absurd idea that the Bolivian government is 'liberal'. No one would be more offended by that description than the Bolivian government itself.

[SuzerainOfSwat]

The Bolivian armed forces aren’t great, don’t know anyone who’s been down that way in an official capacity as an advisor, will say though they’re not up to snuff when compared to the Colombians or Brazilians in the view of some of the experts I know.  

[Lumine]

The Bolivian armed forces aren’t great, don’t know anyone who’s been down that way in an official capacity as an advisor, will say though they’re not up to snuff when compared to the Colombians or Brazilians in the view of some of the experts I know.  

From what I understand they're fairly laughable if you want to compare them to the rest of Latin America's armed forces. But of course, they don't need to be formidable against a foreign enemy to seize power.

[oldtimer]

From what I understand, Evo Morales is keeping up his attempt to win a fourth mandate in 2025, which is part of the whole MAS psychodrama between him and his heir-turned-foe President Arce. The Constitutional Tribunal ruled Morales was barred from standing because the Constitution only allows two terms max and he's served three already (the third after a court ruled that term limits infringed his human rights), but he's still at it while the government is weakened through this internal split.

Morales and General Zúñiga, the Commander in Chief of the Army, had been having a bitter public spat for some time now, culminating in Zúñiga publically asserting that the army would stop and remove Morales if he was to become President again. It is alleged that President Arce sacked him last night given the nature of those comments.

Today, the Army began mobilizing, and Zúñiga is said to have entered the Presidential Palace with armed troops behind him. The rumor has it he spoke to President Arce for about 15 minutes, supposedly demanded the resignation of the Defense Minister, then stormed out of the Palace to an unknown location with no clarity as to what happened there. For now, Bolivian Army units keep mobilizing.

Very early, very unclear how this one will go. Condemnation to the coup attempt already coming from the MAS, moderate opposition, international community and various workers' organizations.

Wait, he captured the Presidential Palace then left it ?

That's strong Prigozhin vibes.

[buritobr]

The best Latin American army is the Army of Costa Rica

[Green Line]

Good.  Hopefully Anez comes back.

[Lumine]

President Arce just changed the entire high command of the Armed Forces, personally took the oath of office to new commanders in chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Doesn't look like we're headed for any kind of deal between Arce and Zúñiga.

[Battista Minola 1616]

Bad development, although it seems to me that Arce is clearly in control - and of course as established Zúñiga has no external support. I will say it is kind of hilarious that we've found something that puts him, Evo and Áñez all in agreement.

[Red Velvet]

Good to see the broad condemnation of this coup attempt from everywhere, both from the left and the right. Chile president; Paraguay president; OAS president; all have condemned this despicable spectacle.

Even if the coup were to succeed, whoever was in charge would be internationally isolated as it’s not the 70s anymore lol. That said, Bolivia is likely one of the most politically isolated countries of the continent, so I kinda get why these coupists would feel more emboldened there.

[Cashew]

The Bolivian military should be abolished tbh, its not threatened by its neighbors and the only thing it's good for is staging coups.

[Lumine]

Army units seem to be departing the Plaza Murillo - where the Presidential Palace is located - while pro-Arce crowds and the police take over.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Deeply worrying development. Hopefully the Bolivian people mobilize en masse to defend their democracy and the military backs down. We can't have another 2019.

[Red Velvet]

The Bolivian military should be abolished tbh, its not threatened by its neighbors and the only thing it's good for is staging coups.

Bolivia is very marked by a quite declared ethnic conflict IMO, which adds a very specific level of radicalism to the polarization. You have a whiter population to the East (closer to Brazil, where Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the main representative) and a very Indigenous population to the West, across all the other main cities, being the large majority of the population.

So it always made little sense to why the white minority always had power for so long, it’s no wonder that once Evo came to power in 00s - First time an Indigenous Bolivian did - Bolivia also made a new constitution that gives a bunch of rights for everything in order to really include Indigenous populations that don’t see themselves as part of Bolivia but nations of their own.

That’s why Bolivia’s full official name was changed to “Plurinational State of Bolivia”, as it’s supposed to include all the different nations that are inside Bolivia - therefore creating some level of unified identity, which Bolivia always struggled with. In the new constitution from 2009, even nature is given the same rights of human beings, which is why Bolivia tends to let much of their forests completely intact even if it delays the economic development. Which does sound like quite radical leftism in comparison to others, doesn’t it?

Well, since every force has and equal opposite one, I think Bolivian elites - and in LatAm the Army definitely is part of it - tend to be even more resentful and therefore more radical about being put much harder in the backseat. Which reflects in how they would be more aggressive in trying to put themselves back into power.

Even the different Indigenous tribes in Bolivia don’t get very along with each other, which adds also a different layer as well, since there are so many Indigenous groups in Bolivia. I heard Andean groups don’t get along with Amazon ones; etc.

[Logical]

It's over. The coup plotters did a Prigozhin (chickened out).

[Hindsight was 2020]

It's over. The coup plotters did a Prigozhin (chickened out).

Don’t take any jets soon 👀

[Enemy Of The State]

Very failed coup!

https://twitter.com/PopulismUpdates/status/1806082792369135931

[Logical]

[jaichind]

I wonder what Evo Morales who plans to run against Arce next year have to do with this.