Coup Rumors, Peasant Protests put Bolivia on Edge

Americas - Bolivia
27 May 2005 - Reuters

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The head of Bolivia's armed forces denied on Wednesday that the military was preparing for a coup as the government vowed to prosecute two officers who called for the ouster of President Carlos Mesa.

Rumors of a coup have persisted as protests convulse South America's poorest nation. Leftist peasant groups are calling for a new constitution and the nationalization of Bolivia's natural gas reserves, while provinces rich in natural resources demand more regional autonomy.

On Wednesday, Lt. Cols. Julio Herrera and Julio Cesar Galindo, on behalf of a "generational movement of military personnel," told local media a military-civilian government should replace Mesa.

Armed forces Commander in Chief Adm. Luis Aranda called the statements "irresponsible and untimely" and Defense Minister Oscar Arredondo vowed to try the two officers in military court, describing the situation as an "isolated incident."

"They aim to sully the military institution with their coup-plotting zeal when the armed forces respect the state of law and the existing institutions," Aranda said. "There is subordination and respect in small and large military units."

In a broadcast on radio station Erbol, Herrera called for complete control over hydrocarbons and a constitutional assembly "to decide what steps to take." The demands reflected those of the Indian protesters who flooded La Paz on Tuesday.

"The government we want to build is with the participation of all sectors, and if this revolution triumphs, there will only be two military officers in the future Cabinet," Herrera said.

Protests and road blockades near La Paz sprang up a week after Congress passed a law raising taxes and breaking existing contracts with foreign oil companies. Companies decried the measure as too drastic, while leftist Indian groups called it too weak.

The capital was tied up for a third day with marches by peasants, miners, teachers, university students and residents of the militant neighboring city of El Alto.

Security forces tightened their grip on the Plaza Murillo in downtown La Paz to keep thousands of protesters from occupying the government palace and congressional building.

Mesa, a political independent with few friends in Congress, has vowed to stay in power to the end of his term in August 2007, despite the growing unrest. He returned to La Paz on Wednesday from the city of Sucre but made no statement.

Evo Morales, Bolivia's leading opposition figure and head of the Movement Toward Socialism party, called on his followers to "defend democracy if there are military coup attempts."

He urged the Bolivian Congress to "deepen democracy" by convening a constitutional assembly and then issued a surprise proposal that "the oil fields be occupied to exercise the Bolivian state's property rights over all the wells."

A religious holiday in Bolivia is expected to bring a pause in street protests in La Paz and El Alto on Thursday, but peasant leader Roman Loayza announced that demonstrations would resume next week.

Copyright 2005 by Reuters. All rights reserved.