Bolivia president denies any involvement or prior knowledge of failed coup

[Judi Lynn]

1. Bolivia's president lambasts accusations of a self-coup as 'lies' as his supporters rally

The nation of 12 million watched in shock and bewilderment Wednesday as Bolivian military forces appeared to turn on the government of President Luis Arce, seizing control of the capital’s main square with armored personnel carriers, crashing a tank into the palace and unleashing tear gas on protesters who flooded the streets.

Updated 21 hrs ago
June 27, 2024
3 min read

By Paola Flores And Isabel Debre The Associated Press

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Luis Arce on Thursday angrily called accusations that he was behind an attempted coup against his government “lies,” saying the general who apparently led it acted on his own and vowing that he would face justice.

Arce’s comments, his first to the press since Wednesday’s failed apparent coup, came after the general involved, Juan José Zúñiga, alleged without providing evidence that the president had ordered him to carry out the mutiny in a ruse to boost his flagging popularity.

That fueled speculation about what really happened, even after the government announced the arrest of 17 people, most of them military officers. Opposition senators and government critics joined the chorus of doubters, calling the mutiny a “self-coup.”

Some Bolivians said they believed Zúñiga’s allegations. “They are playing with the intelligence of the people, because nobody believes that it was a real coup,” said 48-year-old lawyer Evaristo Mamani.

More:
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/americas/bolivia-s-president-lambasts-accusations-of-a-self-coup-as-lies-as-his-supporters-rally/article_26e233f5-8912-5a5a-bed6-46747d48456c.html

(My bolding)