On Wednesday, local media reported the presence of the military at Murillo Square, the central square of Bolivia's administrative capital La Paz, where government buildings are located. The military, led by former Commander-in-Chief Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga, then tried to break into the presidential palace. Bolivian President Luis Arce, who was in the palace at the time, made an address to the nation, describing the events as a coup attempt, and created a new army command, which called on the military to leave the square. The soldiers complied with the order. Zuniga was arrested later in the day.
"We do not exclude that all this was encouraged, dictated by external interests. We do not exclude this. In relation to our country, there has always been an interest in controlling political power in order to plunder natural resources," the minister said.
The authorities are analyzing all the statements and previous actions of General Zuniga and do not rule out that these actions were encouraged from the outside, Novillo added.
General Zuniga wanted to become the illegitimate president of the country, Novillo highlighted.
"General Juan Jose Zuniga's interest [was] to take over the government by force, an action that demonstrates that he wanted to become an illegitimate president. Unfortunately, he was supported by [some] military leaders," the minister emphasized.