Fake Coup Attempt in Bolivia?
Soldiers overran the Bolivian presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday in what President Lusi Arce labeled an attempt to overthrow his government.
Today the country is facing an attempted coup d’état. … The Bolivian people are summoned today. We need the Bolivian people to organize and mobilize against the coup d’état in favor of democracy.
—Lusi Arce
Coup: Gen. Juan José Zúñiga, who was dismissed from his office on Tuesday, was accused of leading the coup.
As armored vehicles and soldiers flooded the plaza outside the palace, Zúñiga told journalists:
The three chiefs of the armed forces have come to express our dismay. Stop destroying; stop impoverishing our country; stop humiliating our army.
Military vehicles then rammed the palace doors and soldiers hurried inside.
In the palace’s hallway, Zúñiga met Arce face-to-face. Bolivian television aired footage of Arce telling Zúñiga, “I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination.”
Zúñiga was arrested and his soldiers retreated. Arce appointed new commanders to the three branches of the armed forces.
- The coup lasted for nearly three hours.
- Zúñiga was cooperative with police after being arrested.
- He said he still viewed Arce as commander in chief “for now.”
A set-up? Shortly before his arrest, Zúñiga told reporters Arce had asked him to stage a coup as a political move:
The president told me, “The situation is very screwed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity.”
Zúñiga also said when he asked if he should “take out the armored vehicles,” Arce replied, “Take them out.”
Justice Minister Iván Lima denied these statements, saying Zúñiga was trying to justify his actions. He now faces a 15-to-20-year prison sentence.
Rift: Candidates for Bolivia’s 2025 presidential election must be decided this year, but Arce’s popularity is threatened by a rift within the Movement Toward Socialism party.
Former president Evo Morales appointed Arce to replace him in 2020 after Morales served two consecutive terms. Morales now wants a third presidential term while Arce wants a second. The party is divided between the two leaders, even though Arce was expelled from the party last year.
The nation also faces a looming economic crisis.
Bolivia is known for its long history of coup attempts. Arce could be trying to win public favor by fabricating a coup and portraying himself as a strong leader.
Fake news? As the dust settles on this dramatic event, we are reminded that we cannot always trust what we hear and see in the news. Politicians, journalists, media and leaders lie to push their agenda. It is difficult to know what is true and what is false.
To learn how to avoid being deceived, read “Navigating Our Fake World.”
