Bolivia’s leader says the general accused of leading failed coup wanted to 'take over' as president

Bolivia’s leader says the general accused of leading failed coup wanted to ‘take over’ as president

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Bolivian President Luis Arce said Friday a former general planned to “take over” the government and become president in a failed coup, and he denied that the Andean nation was in an economic crisis. In an interview with The Associated Press, the embattled leader denied once again that Wednesday’s attack on the government palace was a “self-coup” designed to garner him political points. (AP Video: Victor R. Caivano)

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Bolivia’s President Luis Arce speaks during an interview at the government palace, in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the palace in what Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

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Soldiers return to the government palace after lowering the Bolivian national flag at Murillo square in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what Bolivia’s President Luis Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

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People arrested in connection with the previous day’s uprising are presented by police to the press in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The government announced more arrests over their alleged involvement in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

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Supporters of President Luis Arce demonstrate outside the prosecutor’s office demanding jail time for Juan Jose Zuniga, former commanding general of the army, in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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People walk along a street in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024, a day after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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A vendor waits for customers at her produce stand, a day after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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A woman walks by a sign showing the currency exchange rate in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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A shoeshiner waits for customers a day after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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A butcher attends to a customer at a market in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt.(AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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A woman sits at the entrance of a restaurant in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt.(AP Photo/Carlos Sanchez)

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Supporters of President Luis Arce hold banners with messages reading in Spanish from left; “Democracy should be respected, No to the coup, Zuniga to jail,” during a demonstration in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what President Luis Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

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Bolivia’s President Luis Arce pauses during an interview in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, June 28, 2024, two days after Army troops stormed the government palace in what Arce called a coup attempt. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

By MEGAN JANETSKY and CARLOS VALDEZ

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian President Luis Arce said Friday a former general planned to “take over” the government and become president in a failed coup, and he denied that the Andean nation was in an economic crisis.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the embattled leader denied once again that Wednesday’s attack on the government palace was a “self-coup” designed to garner him political points.

“I didn’t escape. I stayed to defend democracy,” Arce said.

Arce washed his hands of claims by relatives of the 21 people detained by the government that they were innocent of attempting a coup and had been tricked by ex-Gen. Juan Jose Zúñiga.

“It’s a problem of those who were involved, it’s not the government’s problem,” Arce told AP.

Arce said also his government has been “politically attacked” by his one-time ally turned rival, former President Evo Morales, saying the infighting has snarled legislative activities and hamstrung his government confronting economic problems.

Despite that, he said, Bolivia’s economy is growing and his administration is working to “diversify” means of producing, investing in things like lithium and industrializing. Bolivia has the largest reserves of lithium — a metal known as “white gold” and considered essential in the green transition — in the world that has gone largely untapped, in part due to government policy.

Not PARSE.LY: Luis Arce

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Arce said the government “has taken action” to address intermittent gasoline and dollar shortages and other hurdles ailing the South American nation’s economy.

“Bolivia has an economy that’s growing. An economy in crisis doesn’t grow,” he said.

He said it was “completely normal” for Bolivians to run to stockpile food in supermarkets and make a run on ATMs upon seeing an emerging coup in the capital, instead of following his call to take to the streets in support of the government.

He said Bolivians were traumatized by the political turmoil in 2019 that led Morales to resign as president and flee and also caused 37 deaths.

“Where there is a political situation, this rupture, a coup d’état, of course people will be scared that there won’t be food … so they’ll go get money to go stock up,” Arce said.

He added that the government was investigating if the attack was organized by the country’s political opposition. That same day, Arce’s governmental minister, Eduardo del Castillo, said the government claimed that there were “snipers who did not arrive in time to the Murillo square” where the coup was staged.

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Associated Press reporter Paola Flores in La Paz contributed to this report.