Military forces entered the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, on Wednesday, which was denounced by President Luis Arce's administration as an "attempted coup."
Led by General Juan José Zúñiga, who was relieved of his position as commander of the Army the day before, insubordinate military personnel took over the Plaza Murillo, the seat of the Bolivian government.
A military armored vehicle entered the Palacio Quemado as part of the military takeover of the government headquarters. According to local media, Zúñiga spoke for a few minutes with President Arce before leaving the building.
Subsequently, Arce met with his cabinet via the Zoom application.
Previously, the president of Bolivia had denounced the existence of "irregular mobilizations" in the country through his social media.
The president emphasized on the social media platform X that the incident was occurring with "some units of the Bolivian Army."
Arce, whose presidential term is not set to conclude until November 8, 2025, reminded that "democracy must be respected."
Military vehicles and soldiers in combat gear were deployed.
A post shared by the local channel UNITEL on Facebook shows a contingent of soldiers and military vehicles at kilometer zero.
"A ring of military personnel was deployed at the four corners of Plaza Murillo," the news outlet reported.
Motorcycles, armored riot control vehicles, and other military motorized units were brought to this location.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales stated on the social network X: "For the past hour, division commanders have been instructing regimental commanders to return immediately to their barracks to await further instructions (barricading)."
"This raises many suspicions about the military movement in Bolivia," he pointed out.
Tensions remain high in La Paz, and the population throughout the country is awaiting developments in the situation.
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