General Juan José Zúñiga, who led last week’s alleged coup attempt in Bolivia, claimed over the weekend that the "coup" was actually orchestrated by President Luis Arce himself.
Zúñiga asserted that Arce intended to portray himself as a defender of democracy to boost his popularity. President Arce vehemently denies these claims, while associates of the coup participants insist they were duped.
The supposed coup attempt occurred on Wednesday, when a group of some 200 soldiers and ex-soldiers led by Zúñiga, a former army commander who had been dismissed, surrounded the government palace in La Paz.
Amid the chaos, an armored military vehicle was seen ramming the palace gate, but no shots were fired and there were no clashes. At one point, President Arce, 60, emerged and ordered Zúñiga to withdraw: "I am your commander," he said. "Stand down immediately, General." After a brief argument, Zúñiga retreated, and the government announced it was not surrendering.
Subsequently, Zúñiga and 21 others, including two senior officers, were arrested and sent to two of the country’s most secure prisons. Zúñiga and the two senior officers now face charges of terrorism and armed rebellion, offenses that could result in up to 20 years in prison.
However, Zúñiga contends that the midweek "coup attempt" that stunned the world was staged. He alleges that President Arce asked him to "do him a favor" and "stage something that would boost his popularity" amid Bolivia's economic struggles and Arce’s political battle with former President Evo Morales, who plans to run against him in the upcoming elections. On Saturday, while being transferred in handcuffs from a La Paz jail to another prison, Zúñiga encountered journalists and told them, "The truth will come out eventually."
President Arce firmly denies Zúñiga’s claim of a self-coup designed for political gain. On Friday, Arce stated that the general genuinely intended to overthrow the government and become president himself. Arce’s interior minister added that there is evidence in the form of Telegram messages proving the plot was hatched within the military. Arce also asserted that Bolivia is not in an economic crisis and emphasized, "I did not flee [the palace]. I stayed to defend democracy."
Whether the coup attempt was real or staged, Zúñiga’s allegations have left many Bolivians questioning their validity. Doubts have been fueled by Zúñiga’s previous close ties to the government and the brief, weak nature of the coup attempt. Even Morales, Arce’s political rival, mocked the incident, saying to his supporters over the weekend, "I don’t know, what kind of coup is this? A coup with zero injuries, zero shots fired, zero deaths." In recent days, there have been calls from the Bolivian opposition to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the claims.