Evo says he “was the target” of military action in Bolivia – DW – 06/29/2024

The former president of Bolivia and leader of the ruling party, Evo Morales (2006-2019), assured this Friday (06/28/2024) that he was the “target” of the military action of the dismissed commander, General Juan José Zúñiga, and blamed government authorities for attacking Luis Arce.

“The target was Evo Morales,” the former president said on Wednesday, June 26, referring to the military action led by Zuniga against the headquarters of the Bolivian executive in the city of La Paz.

He said that on Saturday, June 23, the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, attacked him, saying that “Evo destroys Bolivia” and that “Evo wants to shorten the mandate of Lucho (Arce).”

“The way the minister organised the conference shows that Lucho is right-wing,” Morales said at a news conference in Cochabamba.

He also criticized that no one from the Arce government had denied what Zúñiga said in a television interview with a local media on Monday, June 24, in which he threatened to “arrest” her if she ran as a presidential candidate in the 2025 elections.

“Based on my experience as a former captain of the Bolivian Armed Forces, I would have dismissed them (…) but they remained silent,” Morales said.

On Wednesday, June 26, Zuniga, accompanied by a group of armed soldiers and tanks, occupied Plaza Murillo, in front of the Bolivian government headquarters. At the scene, the ousted military chief said he wanted to “change the cabinet” and “reestablish” democracy.

Evo and Arcee get away

He retreated a few hours later and was later captured along with 16 soldiers as he left the General Staff’s headquarters.

Arce and Morales have been estranged since late 2021 and their differences deepened as the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) convened a National Congress in 2023 in which, in the absence of the president and sectors loyal to him, the former president was confirmed as leader of the ruling party and named “sole candidate” for the 2025 elections.

That congress was invalidated by the Electoral Tribunal, which indicated that a single convention should be held, however, the followers of the two politicians have not been able to bring their positions closer.

A day earlier, President Arce had indicated that during the “coup attempt” he had called “Comrade Evo Morales” to warn him, and said that they remained “comrades” despite their differences.

Morales and his followers called for a new National Congress of the MAS in the Cochabamba region on September 3, 2024, where they hope to name a new board and declare the former president as a presidential candidate.

MG (EFE, AFP)