News Desk

A Bolivian general has been convicted of planning a coup against the government after storming the presidential palace this Wednesday.
With Bolivia’s dramatic history in politics, this might have not come as a surprise, as there have been a total of 40 attempted and successful coups in the country ever since 1946. The failed coup came at a time when the South American Country with approximately 12 million people struggling with the nation’s degrading economy, which came to a point where it incited several street protests in the recent months.

General Juan Jose Zuniga, who had been dismissed as the commander of the Bolivian army just a day before, led military units into the capital La Paz, and crashed into the governmental palace with armored vehicles, as soldiers raided government offices. Hours into the takeover, President Luis Arce could be seen confronting the general in the palace hallway, ordering him to back down and retreat. (The President had also encouraged the public to “organize and mobilize” to defend democracy.)

A truly triumphant site can be seen as the president raises his fist in victory – signaling the end of the attempted coup – in front of the huge crowd gathered in the palace, after which General Zuniga had been handcuffed and taken into a police car. Defense minister Edmundo Novillo later informed in a news conference that the Bolivian government had gained full control over its military. He has also said to the public that everything will go back to normal, as the situation has already settled down.