The general declared he was leading an effort to “re-establish democracy,” but he and other members of the armed forces later pulled back after trying to storm the presidential palace.

by Julie Turkewitz, Genevieve Glatsky and María Silvia Trigo
June 26, 2024

A top general and allied members of the military tried to storm the presidential palace in Bolivia on Wednesday, before quickly retreating in an apparently failed attempt at a coup.

Hours later, the general was taken into custody on live TV.

Video on Bolivian television showed security forces in riot gear occupying the main square in the administrative capital, La Paz, a camouflaged military vehicle ramming a palace door and soldiers trying to make their way into the building.

Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, the general, Juan José Zuñiga, disappeared, and his supporters in the armed forces pulled back and were replaced by police officers supporting the country’s democratically elected president, Luis Arce.

Mr. Arce ventured onto the plaza after calling on Bolivians “to organize and mobilize against the coup and in favor of democracy.”
“Long live the Bolivian people!” he shouted in a televised address. “Long live democracy!”

In all, the attempted afternoon incursion into the palace lasted just three hours. As time wore on, it became clear that General Zuñiga’s plan had little support.