Bolivian President Luis Arce stated on Friday that a former general attempted to “take over” the government and become president in a failed coup. In an interview with The Associated Press, Arce denied allegations that Bolivia is facing an economic crisis. He also refuted claims that the attack on the government palace on Wednesday was a “self-coup” intended to boost his political standing.
“I didn’t escape. I stayed to defend democracy,” Arce said.
Arce washed his hands of claims by relatives of the 21 people detained by the government that they were innocent of attempting a coup and had been tricked by ex-Gen. Juan Jose Zúñiga.
“It’s a problem of those who were involved, it’s not the government’s problem,” Arce told AP.
Bolivian President Luis Arce mentioned that his government has faced political attacks from former ally-turned-rival, ex-President Evo Morales. This internal conflict has disrupted legislative efforts and posed challenges to addressing economic issues.
Despite these challenges, Arce emphasized that Bolivia’s economy is growing, attributing this to efforts to diversify economic activities such as investing in lithium and industrialization. Bolivia holds significant reserves of lithium, crucial for the green transition, but these resources have been underutilized due to government policies.
Arce acknowledged intermittent challenges like gasoline and dollar shortages but affirmed that his government has taken steps to address them. He dismissed claims of an economic crisis, asserting that a growing economy contradicts such a characterization. Regarding recent events, including an attack on the government palace, Arce described the public reaction, such as food stockpiling and ATM withdrawals, as understandable given the political tensions and historical trauma from the 2019 turmoil that led to Morales’ resignation and subsequent unrest.
Arce also mentioned ongoing investigations into whether the recent attack was orchestrated by political opposition forces, highlighting claims of snipers present during the incident.
