LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) 鈥� Bolivian President Luis Arce said Friday a former general planned to 鈥渢ake over鈥� the government and become president , 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 鈥渟elf-coup鈥� designed to garner him political points.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 escape. I stayed to defend democracy," Arce said.
Arce washed his hands of that they were innocent of attempting a coup and had been tricked by .
鈥淚t鈥檚 a problem of those who were involved, it鈥檚 not the government鈥檚 problem,鈥� Arce told AP.
Arce said also his government has been 鈥減olitically attacked鈥� by his one-time ally turned rival, former President Evo Morales, saying confronting economic problems.
Despite that, he said, Bolivia's economy is growing and his administration is working to 鈥渄iversify鈥� means of producing, investing in things like lithium and industrializing. Bolivia has the largest reserves of lithium 鈥� a metal known as 鈥渨hite gold鈥� and considered essential in the green transition 鈥� in the world that has gone largely untapped, in part due to government policy.
said the government 鈥渉as taken action鈥� to address intermittent gasoline and dollar shortages and other hurdles ailing the South American nation's economy.
鈥淏olivia has an economy that's growing. An economy in crisis doesn't grow,鈥� he said.
He said it was 鈥渃ompletely normal鈥� 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.
鈥淲here there is a political situation, this rupture, a coup d鈥櫭﹖at, of course people will be scared that there won鈥檛 be food 鈥� so they鈥檒l go get money to go stock up," Arce said.
He added that the government was investigating if the attack was organized by the country鈥檚 political opposition. That same day, Arce's governmental minister, Eduardo del Castillo, said the government claimed that there were 鈥渟nipers 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.
Megan Janetsky And Carlos Valdez, The Associated Press
