The Bolivian authorities was conscious of potential coup plans and had intelligence earlier than the nation’s chief navy officer and his forces stormed the presidential palace, a high-ranking minister revealed on Thursday.
The failed coup on Wednesday occurred over a number of hours and provoked swift condemnations from world leaders, elevating fears that democracy within the Andean nation stays in danger.
In an interview with native broadcaster Unitel, Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo stated that President Luis Arce had obtained stories about “destabilization attempts.” However, he cautioned that the federal government didn’t know extra on the time.
The mobilization of navy items on Wednesday noticed the nation’s navy commander collect troops in the primary sq. of the capital La Paz, ramming a palace door with an armored automobile to permit troopers to hurry into the constructing.
The troopers finally withdrew and police regained management of the plaza, with Arce slamming the coup try and swiftly naming a brand new prime basic.
The former commander, Juan Jose Zuniga, was arrested in addition to former Navy commander Juan Arnez Salvador, del Castillo stated, noting that a few dozen navy officers have been detained and will face jail phrases of between 15 and 30 years.
Zuniga had lately stated that Arce’s former mentor-turned-political-rival, ex-President Evo Morales, shouldn’t be capable of run once more for president and threatened to dam him if he tried to take action.
The commander had been advised on Tuesday night that he can be stripped of his place as his conduct “was not in line with the Constitution,” in response to del Castillo.
He recalled that Zuniga reacted calmly to the news.
“But no one could have imagined that the next day, before the official handover in posts, there would be a failed coup in our country,” he stated.
Late Wednesday, Minister of the Presidency Maria Nela Prada advised reporters that Zuniga confessed to police and stated the coup try failed as a result of reinforcements didn’t arrive in time.
But as he was being arrested, Zuniga publicly stated that he had been instructed to hold out the coup at Arce’s path with a view to increase the president’s recognition, which Prada later denied.
Source: www.dailysabah.com