Rio de Janeiro, 27 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The Bolivian army's general commander, Juan José Zúñiga, has been arrested following a failed coup attempt, local media reported on Wednesday.

It comes after the Bolivian military occupied the square in front of the government palace in La Paz with armoured vehicles and tried to breach doors, live images on Bolivian television showed.

Zúñiga, who is believed to have led the attempt to storm the government palace, has been accused of terrorism and armed insurrection against the security and sovereignty of the state.

The public prosecutor's office had previously issued an arrest warrant and launched investigations into Zúñiga and fellow putschists.

Left-wing President Luis Arce dismissed the top general, replacing the entire leadership of the armed forces. The new army chiefs then ordered the withdrawal of troops from around the government palace in central La Paz.

As the putsch unfolded, with a tank ramming the doors of the seat of government, Zúñiga addressed the media, saying: "Enough of the impoverishment of our homeland, enough of the humiliation of the military. We have come to express our displeasure."

Speaking to media representatives, he spoke of "attacks on democracy" without elaborating.

The attempt to topple the left-wing government was met with immediate resistance from the country's leadership.

"We denounce the irregular mobilizations by some units of the Bolivian Army," President Luis Arce wrote on X as events were unfolding. "Democracy must be respected."

Former Bolivian president Evo Morales also condemned the military's actions on the Murillo square, calling them a "planned coup d'état" in a post on X.

History of political turmoil

It appears that the failed coup was triggered by a possible renewed presidential bid by Morales, who became the country's first indigenous president in 2006.

After the Constitutional Court's 2017 decision to declare term limits invalid, Morales ran for a fourth term in the presidential poll in October 2019.

The former coca grower leader declared himself the winner of the election and the opposition accused him of fraud.

Unrest broke out and, under pressure from the military, Morales resigned and spent a year in exile in Mexico and Argentina. His supporters spoke of a coup.

Morales and Arce, his former economy minister, have since fallen out and are currently embroiled in a power struggle for the leadership of their socialist MAS party ahead of elections scheduled for 2025.

In September, Morales announced that he would run for office yet again in 2025, but was barred from doing so by the constitutional court in December, overturning the 2017 decision.

"The president told me that the situation is looking very bad," Zúñiga said on television ahead of his arrest. Zúñiga claimed that Arce had told him that it was "necessary to prepare something to increase his popularity."

World leaders slam military's actions

South American leaders condemned the military's actions.

Mexico's president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum called the unrest "an attack on democracy," while Chile's left-wing President Gabriel Boric expressed his country's support for "the legitimate government" led by Arce.

In Europe, Spain's left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that the country "strongly condemns the military actions in Bolivia."

He added: "We send our support and solidarity to the government of Bolivia and its people and are calling for respect for democracy and the rule of law."

Top EU officials also condemned the failed coup attempt.

"The European Union stands by democracies. We express our strong support for the constitutional order and rule of law in Bolivia," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a post on X.

The EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said: "The European Union condemns any attempt to undermine the constitutional order in Bolivia and overthrow democratically elected governments, and expresses its solidarity with the Bolivian government and people."