Military vehicles from Boliva breached the presidential palace on Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt. This came after many military vehicles were seen in Plaza Murillo where the government houses and presidential palace are located.  This mobilization was met with immediate backlash from the government as the country’s president, Luis Arce,  denounced the troops’ movements and called for democracy to be respected. The president then installed a new commander of the armed forces which caused the occupying troops to retreat from the plaza.

Later, General Juan José Zúñiga was arrested for the attempted government takeover. He was dismissed from his post earlier that day and replaced as the army’s commanding general with José Sánchez.

The coup attempt drew criticism from almost every place in Bolivia, from the courts to the ombudsman to the general public, who have shown up in huge numbers to support the government and democracy in Bolivia. Leaders of nearby nations, such as Brazillian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chilean President Gabriel Boric, also condemned the attempted coup.

Last week, the general said that he would arrest former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who was deposed in 2019, if Morales ran for president again. Morales previously accused Zúñiga of leading a secret group within the army that monitors political opponents.