Bolivia Rejects Coup Attempt

LA PAZ 26jun This afternoon (5 p.m. in Argentina), sectors of the armed forces advanced on the Plaza Murillo in the city of La Paz, the political center of Bolivia, under orders of the former commander general of the Army, Juan José Zúñiga, and entered through force to the Government Palace. There, the military chief demanded from President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora a total change of cabinet, receiving the president's face-to-face rejection. At the same time, the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB) immediately declared an indefinite strike and called "all social and union organizations to the city of La Paz to defend and restore the constitutional order." The population mobilized quickly and flooded the streets, rejecting the coup attempt. Zúñiga left the Government Palace and behind him the military began to withdraw in the face of massive popular rejection. Shortly after, Arce appointed a new High Command of the Armed Forces. The new Army commander, José Wilson Sánchez, ordered all military personnel mobilized in the streets to return to their units. The order was obeyed. As night fell, Zúñiga was arrested.

A composite of sources en español reports the coup attempt of Wednesday afternoon at Argentina Indymedia