In the midst of the conflict in Santa Cruz, President Luis Arce took office this Tuesday and swore in five new authorities of the Military High Command.
the president of Bolivia, Luis Arcereplaced at the end of this Tuesday the Military High Command of the Army before the fear of a possible coup while the strong and violent protests continue, whose epicenter is in Santa Cruz, where the opposition demands that the population census be held in 2023.
“It is their duty to protect peace and order with strict adherence to the Constitution. Today Bolivia is once once more threatened by those who, unable to contribute to democracy, bet on confrontation and violence, ”Arce alleged to the Military High Command, the third in less than two years, during his inauguration.
Arce warned that there is once more in Bolivia “a strategy to repeat the 2019 coup d’état” and reminded the new Army chiefs that they have a legal obligation to protect the people and the Government that came out of the polls.
Arce’s appointments are Hugo Arandia López, as the new commander in chief of the Armed Forces; Gonzalo Vigabriel Sánchez, as chief of the General Staff; Marcelo Zegarra Gutiérrez for the Air Force; Juan Arnez Salvador for Naval; and Juan José Zúñiga as head of the Army, details the newspaper Duty.
The opposition hastened to criticize these designations as they claim that they seek militarize the department of Santa Cruz as episodes of violence during the protests intensify. Some retired soldiers point out that Arce would be breaking the norm and promoting personnel with complaints.
Eleven days following the general strikes began in Santa Cruz, the Government Minister, Eduardo del Castillo, pointed out that it is “technically” impossible for the population census to be held in 2023, as required by the opposition led by the governor, Luis Fernando Camacho, who is aware of this.
Del Castillo lamented that Camacho “wants to carry out a census without completing the procedural stages” and asked to establish “a dialogue without whims” since it is close to seeing how “violence overflows” in Santa Cruz.
“We do not want more confrontations, we publicly ask for reflection,” he demanded.
“The whim of a person is taking precedence (…). We have images of the extreme content of the violence, it is time to leave the violence and go to dialogue, they want to set the country on fire,” Del Castillo denounced following the latest episodes of violence recorded this Tuesday between supporters of the strike once morest detractors and the Police.
The team of outgoing military authorities was sworn in on October 4, 2021, and President Arce highlighted “their commitment and dedication” despite his words regarding a possible coup.
