Troops begin to pull back as Bolivia coup attempt appears to have failed

By AP 27 June 2024, 1:34 am

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Bolivia's general commander of the Army, Juan José Zúñiga, sits inside an armored vehicle parked on Plaza Murillo, outside government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Troops and armored vehicles have begun to pull back from Bolivia’s government palace.

Supporters of President Luis Arce flood into the plaza outside and waved Bolivian flags soon afterward.

Arce says the day has been “atypical in the life of country that wants democracy.”

He decries what he called “an attempted coup by troops who are staining the uniform, who are attacking our constitution.”

Arce praises those troops who obey the constitution and “wear their uniform with pride.”

“We deplore the attitudes of bad troops who regrettably repeat history by trying to carry out a coup when the Bolivian people have always been a democratic people,” he adds.