Political situation in Bolivia

The general arrested after the coup attempt in Bolivia - blames the president

The police in Bolivia have arrested the commander Juan José Zúñiga who led the coup attempt at the government building in La Paz. The minister and prosecutor Eduardo del Castillo spoke about the arrest to reporters after the soldiers and armored vehicles withdrew.

- What was this group's goal? The goal was to overthrow the democratically elected leadership, he says according to the news agency AP.

Shortly before the arrest, Zúñiga himself stated that he acted on the orders of President Luis Arce. He claims the president urged him to storm parliament to boost his popularity.

Justice Minister Iván Lima says the commander is lying to justify his actions.

.......................................

Analysis: The coup may have been a "burlesque show"

Bolivia is the country in the world that has suffered the most coups. Wednesday's events are just another chapter in the country's turbulent history, El País Lorena Arroyo writes in an analyzing text.

Elsewhere, analysts ask themselves the question of whether it was really an attempted coup d'état that unfolded in La Paz on Wednesday evening Swedish time.

According to El Diario, political analyst Gustavo Pedraza told national television that the coup's botched execution indicates that it was orchestrated by the government.

- The government has put together a burlesque show with bad actors, he says.

In an analysis for Reuters, Brendan O'Boyle and Daniel Ramos note that this is exactly what coup plotter Juan José Zúñiga himself claimed after the coup was stopped, but that regardless of how much weight is placed on it, the attempt shows how tense the political situation in the country is, and how much anger and desperation has been built up by the economic crisis.

........................................

17 arrested in Bolivia - were shown in handcuffs

17 people have been arrested in Bolivia after the failed coup d'état. They were shown in handcuffs to the media on Thursday, reports AFP.

Among them are army commander Juan José Zúñiga, who led the coup attempt, and navy commander Juan Arnez Salvador. They now face up to 20 years in prison for terrorism and armed rebellion. Among the other detainees are both current and former military personnel as well as civilians.

Zúñiga himself claims that he carried out the coup attempt on the orders of President Luis Arce so that he could increase his popularity by effectively stopping it - something the president's staff firmly denies.

It was on Wednesday evening that soldiers and armored vehicles occupied, among other things, the government headquarters in La Paz. A few hours later, they retreated after Arce appointed new military commanders.