Bolivia’s President Luis Arce has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to democracy in the wake of a failed coup attempt by a group of military officers.
Speaking from the balcony of the government palace in the administrative capital La Paz on Wednesday, Arce said: “Nobody can take away the democracy we have won. “We Bolivians will defeat all coup attempts.

He noted that the Bolivian people had responded to his call for democracy by standing up to the coup attempt.

Footage posted on social media showed a tank attempting to storm the government palace in the capital, La Paz.

The footage also showed the use of tear gas and water on citizens expressing their rejection of the coup attempt.

The soldiers who attempted the coup later returned to their military units on the orders of the newly appointed army commander, Jose Wilson Sanchez, and the authorities arrested former commander Jose Zúñiga, who is accused of masterminding the coup attempt.