Bolivian former army chief, General Juan José Zúñiga Macías, has been given six months of preventive detention after being accused of leading a failed coup attempt. The charges against him include terrorism and armed uprising. Zúñiga claimed he was following orders from President Luis Arce, who denied orchestrating a “self-coup” to boost his popularity.
If found guilty, Zúñiga could face up to 20 years in prison for terrorism and up to 15 years for armed uprising. The attorney general’s office requested the preventive detention, which was supported by other government bodies due to the seriousness of the events. Arce maintained that the attack on the government palace was not a self-coup and that he remained to defend democracy.
The brief mutiny on Wednesday saw heavily armed troops storming the government palace in La Paz before retreating. Bolivia, facing economic crisis and social unrest, is also witnessing a power struggle between Arce and former president Evo Morales. Both men plan to seek the presidency in the upcoming election for their party, Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).
Arce refuted claims of an economic crisis, stating that Bolivia’s economy is growing. His administration is focusing on diversifying production, investing in industries like lithium, as Bolivia holds the largest reserves of lithium in the world. The government is addressing economic challenges such as intermittent gasoline and dollar shortages to stimulate economic growth.
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