LA PAZ, Bolivia — Former Bolivian President Evo Morales on Sunday accused his political ally-turned-rival Luis Arce of misleading Bolivians by staging a “suicide coup” last week to gain voter support, sparking a sharp deterioration in already tense relations between the two countries.
Morales was initially one of the country’s most vocal voices, claiming that around 200 military men who marched in armored vehicles to Bolivia’s government palace on Wednesday were plotting a “coup”.
“We are convinced that democracy is the only way to resolve all differences and that institutions and the rule of law must be respected,” Morales said in a post on social media platform X on the day of the military action. “We reiterate our call for the arrest and trial of all those involved in these unrest.”
But on Sunday, Morales joined others who believe Arce himself engineered a “suicide coup” to gain sympathy from the Bolivian people at a time when his approval rating is extremely low.
“President Arce has disregarded the truth, he has deceived us and he has lied not only to the Bolivian people but to the whole world,” Morales said on a local TV station on Sunday.
President Morales has supported the accusations made by former General Juan José Zúñiga, who is accused of leading the coup attempt.
Morales said Zuniga had told colleagues and family members of his plan before carrying it out, and told authorities while in custody that Arce had “betrayed” him.
“The president told me: ‘The situation is very bad, very critical. I need to prepare something to increase my popularity,'” Zúñiga quoted the Bolivian leader as saying.
This theory was quickly adopted by President Arce’s political opponents, who called it an “auto-coup.”
“One day the truth will come out,” a handcuffed Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga told reporters on Saturday as he was being transferred to the prison.
In a post on Sunday, President Morales called for an independent investigation into Wednesday’s military action.
Shortly after this statement, government minister Eduardo del Castillo made disparaging remarks about President Morales in an interview on state television, saying, “According to Evo, if there are no deaths, there is no coup.”
While Morales still wields considerable power in Bolivia, particularly among coca growers and labor unions, Arce faces simmering discontent as the country reels from an economic crisis.
Morales, once a friend of President Arce, resigned as president in 2019 amid chaos after running for an unconstitutional third term and then going into exile, but he claims the incident was a coup.
He supported President Arce in the country’s 2020 elections as the candidate of the Movement for Socialism, known by its Spanish acronym MAS.
But relations between the two deteriorated after Arce returned from exile and Morales announced plans to run against him as the MAS candidate in the 2025 elections. The two have become increasingly at odds as Morales blocks much of Arce’s legislative agenda in Congress.
“We have been attacked politically,” Arce said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, but “we are not fighting back.”
The dispute has angered many Bolivians, and President Morales’ comments on Sunday did not appear to help matters.
Morales said on local radio show Causachun Coca that he felt the incident had tarnished the image of Bolivia and its armed forces, and apologized for expressing solidarity with Arce.
