Leftist Feud in Bolivia: Evo Morales Says Failed Coup Was a False Flag

Bolivia's former President Evo Morales gives a press conference regarding the rejection of
Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo
Christian K. Caruzo

Bolivia’s socialist former President Evo Morales accused his former protegé and fellow socialist President Luis Arce on Sunday of staging last week’s failed coup d’etat against himself.

Morales, who publicly denounced the failed coup and expressed support for Arce, made the accusations on Sunday in the latest broadcast of his weekly radio show Kawsachun Coca, claiming that Arce “lied and deceived the whole world” with a “self-coup.”

The statements mark the latest chapter in a growing schism between Morales and Arce that has taken over their political party, the ruling Movement Towards Socialism Party (MAS), and is fueled by Morales’s repeated attempts to return to power for an unconstitutional fifth term.

On June 26, a group of Bolivian soldiers led by now-former Army Commander Juan José Zúñiga broke into the premises of La Paz’s Plaza Murillo, located in front of the presidential palace. Arce, other regional leaders, and international organizations denounced the incident as a coup attempt against the socialist government. Zúñiga maintained control of the plaza for roughly three hours before standing down and being arrested in the late hours of Wednesday evening.

Bolivian authorities placed Zúñiga in a six-month pre-trial detention period and charged him with terrorism and armed uprising. Shortly before his arrest on Wednesday evening, Zúñiga claimed to reporters that Arce “was aware” of the coup attempt and that the Bolivian president had instructed him to take out “armored vehicles” to “raise” his popularity.  Bolivian government officials denied the “self-coup” allegations on Thursday morning.

Morales, on his Sunday radio show, claimed that, while he initially “thought” that last Wednesday’s events were a coup, he now finds himself “confused” and now thinks the incidents “seem like a self-coup.” The Bolivian socialist leader stated that he received unspecified reports from “military patriots” that changed his mind.

The socialist former president also stated that the solidarity he expressed to Arce in a telephone call amidst Wednesday’s events was a “lie” and claimed that Zúñiga will be set free in “six months.”

“Before his [Zúñiga’s] arrest he informed his comrades and relatives that Lucho [Arce] betrayed him, he just confirmed it. In [Bolivian Police] cells, General Zúñiga said, ‘Lucho has betrayed me,’ he repeated that,” Morales said. “These new elements convince me that it is a self-coup, or finally that Lucho has planned well to use the Army, to do so much damage to the Army, to victimize himself with crocodile tears with such a lie.”

“I want to take this opportunity to say to the whole world – to apologize. Unfortunately, Lucho lied, deceived the Bolivian people and the whole world with this coup or self-coup,” he continued.

Morales reiterated his accusations via social media on Sunday afternoon, where he once again accused Arce of having “deceived and lied” to the world.

“President Luis Arce deceived and lied to the Bolivian people and the world. It is regrettable that such a sensitive issue as the denunciation of a coup is used,” Morales’ message read. “Faced with this reality, I must apologize to the international community for the alarm generated and thank them for their solidarity with our country. It is important that a full and independent investigation proves the truth of this fact.”

Arce responded to Morales’s accusations on Sunday evening.

“Evo Morales, don’t be wrong once again! Clearly what happened on June 26 was a failed military coup in Bolivia,” Arce’s message read. “Do not side with the fascism that denies what happened! Those responsible who sought to seize power by arms are being prosecuted and will be tried, as was the case with the coup plotters of 2019.”

Evo Morales ruled Bolivia from 2006 until his voluntary resignation in late 2019. Both Morales and Arce maintain that Morales’ decision to abandon the country, along with most of his top cabinet members, was a “coup,” because the person remaining in Bolivia at the top of the line of succession at the time was a conservative: Senator Jeanine Áñez, who served briefly as president before stepping down for a special election and is currently being held as a political prisoner.

Morales is engaged in a power struggle with Arce over control of the MAS Party that has seen both socialists try to oust each other and become MAS’ candidate for the 2025 presidential election.

The feud between Arce and Morales has functionally split MAS into two camps. Morales is seeking to become president of Bolivia for a fifth time despite being term-limited by the Bolivian constitution.

While Bolivia’s constitution explicitly establishes that a president may only serve for a maximum of two terms, Morales was able to rule the South American nation across four terms spanning a total of roughly 13 years by “bypassing” the two-term limit using several court rulings — including a notable issued in 2017, in which the nation’s top court ruled that term limits were a “violation” of Morales’ human rights.

The controversial ruling allowed Morales to run again in 2019, being “elected” for a fourth term in a highly fraudulent election widely condemned by local opponents and the international community, leading to protests and his voluntary resignation in November 2019.

Although the Bolivian Supreme Court ruled in January that indefinite presidential reelection “is not a human right” and term limits are a “suitable measure to ensure that a person does not perpetuate himself in power,” Morales has continued to campaign and insist he is “qualified” to run for president.

In May, Morales declared that he would run for president “by any means necessary” and threatened to organize riots and blockades if he is not allowed to run. The statements were followed by his removal from MAS’ leadership structure. In October, the pro-Morales wing of MAS had Arce banned from the ruling socialist party in defense of Morales.

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.

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