Arce demands democracy be respected after military storm palace

Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace

Bolivian President demands democracy be respected after soldiers storm the presidential palace

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivias government palace Wednesday in an attempted coup, President Luis Arce said. He demanded democracy be respected and called on the military to remain loyal to the constitution.

The incident came amid escalating tensions in the country, which has been rocked by protests in recent months over the economy and other issues.

In a televised address to the nation, Arce said that the military had "betrayed the trust of the people" and that he would not tolerate any attempt to overthrow his democratically elected government.

"I call on all Bolivians to defend democracy and the constitution," Arce said. "We will not allow a coup d'etat."

The military has not yet commented on the incident. It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the attempted coup or what their motives were.

Bolivia has a history of military coups. The last successful coup took place in 2019, when Evo Morales was overthrown after a disputed election.

The attempted coup came as Bolivia grapples with a number of challenges, including a slowing economy, rising poverty, and political instability.