Venezuelan and Latin American Leaders Condemn Bolivia Coup Attempt
Caracas, June 27, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government expressed a “firm rejection” of a failed military coup attempt in Bolivia.
“Fascists and extremists always look to take power through coups, destabilization and chaos,” President Nicolás Maduro wrote on X/Twitter. “The Bolivian people are called upon to defend their democracy and their president Luis Arce.”
Caracas had issued an earlier statement condemning the putsch, criticizing “another effort to impose a fascist regime against the popular forces” in Bolivia. It also expressed “absolute support” for Arce in staving off an “attack on democracy.”
Bolivian General Juan José Zúñiga, who had been dismissed from his post at the head of the army the day before, deployed tanks and armored vehicles in Plaza Murillo on Wednesday afternoon. He surrounded the presidential palace and other institutional buildings.
Zúñiga told reporters that the armed forces aimed to “restore democracy” in the Andean nation and that he did not recognize President Arce’s authority.
Bolivian leaders, including Arce and former President Evo Morales, were quick to denounce “irregular troop movements” and urge people and social movements to take to the streets and oppose the coup attempt. The military police cordoned off Plaza Murillo and used tear gas to keep the growing crowds at bay.
Arce confronted Zúñiga outside the presidential palace and demanded that the mutineers demobilize and return to their barracks.
As the afternoon went on, the coup effort began to strain, with Zúñiga changing his demands to a replacement of the country’s defense minister and later claiming his forces were going to release what he referred to as “political prisoners.”
The insurrection eventually dissolved as Arce appointed new leaders for Bolivia’s army, navy and airforce. Newly appointed army chief José Sánchez pledged to uphold the nation’s Constitution and democratic legality and ordered all troops to stand down and return to their barracks.
The armored vehicles in Plaza Murillo dispersed within minutes. Zúñiga fled the scene but was arrested later in the evening. Bolivia’s attorney general’s office will now open an investigation and bring charges.
Arce, Vice President David Choquehuanca and other high-ranking officials met jubilant crowds outside the presidential palace. Government supporters praised the president for holding firm against the military threat and chanted that “the coup plotters shall not pass!”
Bolivia’s popular organizations responded swiftly to the anti-democratic insurrection. The Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB) called on all its affiliated unions to organize a strike and take to the streets. Following the coup’s defeat, the COB leadership urged its membership to remain vigilant against further destabilization efforts and reiterated support for Arce’s government.
Zúñiga’s putsch was likewise thwarted by an immediate and overwhelming international response. Apart from Maduro, regional leaders including Lula da Silva (Brazil), López Obrador (México), Miguel Díaz-Canel (Cuba) and Xiomara Castro (Honduras) issued statements backing the Bolivian government and demanding a return to constitutional order.
Castro, who holds the pro-tempore presidency of CELAC, called on the region’s presidents to hold an emergency meeting and to jointly condemn fascism.
Bolivians lived through a coup d’État in November 2019 when the armed forces deposed Morales following presidential elections. Unfounded fraud claims by the Organization of American States triggered the political crisis.
Morales, who had won the election, was forced to flee the country. Senator Jeanine Áñez led a self-proclaimed government that heavily repressed protests demanding a return to democracy. The Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), Morales’ party, returned to power in the 2020 presidential vote, when Arce was elected to the presidency. Áñez and other far-right leaders were prosecuted and are currently serving prison sentences for their role in the coup.
