For the most part, Republicans in the southern US state of Georgia - where tonight's debate is taking place - who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 remain steadfast in their conviction to send him back to the White House.
Some though, like Alyona Clement, are turning away from their party's standard-bearer.
Clement voted for Trump in 2016, but has since given up on him due to his numerous legal troubles.
"All the lawsuits that Trump is going through, all these women accusing him of stuff, that's what turned me off from him," Clement says.
Still, most Republicans who spoke to the BBC feel like Fran Diemer.
"I voted for Trump in 2016, and 2020, and I will vote for him again," Diemer says.
"He’s the best thing to ever happen to this country and we need him back."
Gloria Murphy, 73, echoed the sentiment.
"I think Trump did a great job in 2016," Murphy says, adding that she's more excited to vote for Trump than ever.
"The last four years have been terrible. Just look at the economy," she adds.
A collision between a train and a bus in Slovakia has killed six people and injured at least five more, according to the country’s emergency services.
The fatalities are believed to have been on the bus. Slovak railway company ZSSK said on Facebook that none of the passengers on the EuroCity train died as it gave its condolences to “the families and loved ones of the bus passengers who were injured or lost in this accident.”
The emergency response is ongoing at the crash site in Nové Zámky, southern Slovakia, the Slovak Emergency Medical Service said. Five ambulance vehicles and three ambulance helicopters are on the scene.
Smoke and fire billowed from a train carriage, according to footage from the scene shared by Reuters. A person could be heard saying: “There was just a big bang. Then the train stopped. We were able to get off, but the whole front part of the train was burning.”
The train was traveling from the Czech capital of Prague to the Hungarian capital of Budapest. More than 100 of its stranded passengers are being transported by buses to the town of Sturovo on the Hungarian border.
“All passengers were evacuated from the scene with the assistance of our staff. Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the bus passengers who suffered injuries or losses in this accident,” ZSSK said in a statement shared with CNN.
Slovak politicians expressed their shock about the incident. “With the deepest sadness, I received the information of a tragic accident that happened late afternoon in Nové Zámky,” Slovak Health Minister Zuzana Dolinková said in a social media post.
“All kinds of emergency services are on the scene and I send my deepest condolences to the families of the victims.”
Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini, who was in Brussels attending a summit with European Union leaders, sent his condolences on social media. “I am very sorry for all the victims and my condolences to their families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and thank the doctors and rescue teams for their work done. I wish such catastrophes would avoid Slovakia in the future,” he wrote.
Forces led by army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga seemed to take control of the government of president Luis Arce as they vowed to “restore democracy”, but he pledged to stand firm and named a new army commander who immediately ordered the troops to stand down.
The soldiers soon pulled back, along with a line of military vehicles, ending the rebellion after three hours, and hundreds of Mr Arce’s supporters rushed the square outside the palace, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.
Government minister Eduardo del Castillo said former navy Vice Admiral Juan Arnez Salvador was also taken into custody.
“What was this group’s goal? The goal was to overturn the democratically elected authority,” Mr del Castillo told journalists in announcing the arrests.
The apparent coup attempt came after the nation of 12 million people faced months of tensions between Mr Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist president Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party. It also came amid a severe economic crisis.
Kremlin says it hopes calm can be restored in Bolivia after attempted coup
The Kremlin has said it hoped calm would be restored in Bolivia in the wake of an attempted coup, after the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the plotters and expressed Moscow’s support for the government of President Luis Arce.
Bolivian armed forces pulled back from the presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday evening and a general was arrested after Arce slammed a “coup” attempt against the government and called for international support.
“This is an internal Bolivian affair. It is very important that our Bolivian friends deal with their own problems within the framework of constitutional legality,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We wish that country a speedy return to calm, and we hope that this will be the case. Of course, it is very important that there was no interference by third countries in what happened in Bolivia.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov speaks to journalists earlier this year (via REUTERS)
The apparent coup attempt in Bolivia comes after the nation of 12 million people faced months of tensions between president Luis Arce and his one-time ally, former leftist president Evo Morales, over control of the ruling party.
These tenions have been worsened by a severe economic crisis that has left many Bolivians struggling with a cost of living crisis.
The clashes have paralysed the government's efforts to deal with the economic crisis. Mr Morales's allies in Congress have consistently thwarted Mr Arce's attempts to take on debt to relieve some of the pressure.
Dismissed army chief General Juan Jose Zuniga, who initiated the coup attempt, referenced that paralysis during the rebellion, telling reporters the military was tired of the infighting and was seeking "to restore democracy".
"We are listening to the cry of the people because for many years an elite has taken control of the country," he said, adding that politicians are "destroying the country: look at what situation we are in, what crisis they have left us in.
"The armed forces intend to restore the democracy, to make it a true democracy."
People wave Bolivia's national flag as they yell at the military police during a coup attempt against the government of Bolivian President Luis Arce by military units (REUTERS)
Army general presented arrives at first hearing after attempted coup
Dismissed Bolivian Army general commander Juan Jose Zuniga is presented at the premises of the Special Force Against Crime after his arrest for being part of a military takeover against the government, in La Paz, Bolivia (EPA)
Bolivia’s minister of health, Maria Renee Castro, said eight people had been injured due to impact from pellets following the coup attempt and ensuing civilian protests.
Civilians gathered in protest as hooded and armed individuals surrounded the square, leading to clashes and injuries, the daily La Razon reported.
Now-sacked general Juan Jose Zuniga, who led the coup attempt, was later detained.
President Luis Arce’s career has mirrored Bolivia’s economic trajectory from boom to bust
The president of Bolivia, who was the target of a failed coup Wednesday, is a 60-year-old leftist whom many see as an opponent of Washington-backed free-market and neoliberal policies.
Luis Arce, who studied economics in London, was economy minister under President Evo Morales, whose time in office from 2006 to 2019 made him an icon of the Latin American left.
After Morales left office, Arce became president in November 2020, following Jeanine Añez’s short time in office.
Bolivian television showed Arce confronting the apparent leader of the rebellion — the general commander of the army — in the hallway of the government palace Wednesday night.
“I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce said.
Arce named a new army commander, who immediately ordered the troops to stand down. Their retreat ended the rebellion after just three hours.
(AP)
Arce’s career has mirrored Bolivia’s economic trajectory from boom to bust. He worked in the Central Bank from 1987 to 2006 and worked for Morales administering a bonanza in metals and hydrocarbons prices that came to be known as the “Bolivian Miracle.”
But by the time Arce took office, Bolivia was hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and social tensions set off by Morales’ 2019 departure after street protests and extreme pressure from the military.
Neoliberal reforms in the 1990s helped Bolivia become a significant energy producer, and it moved from a low-income to a middle-income nation, according to the World Bank. The percentage of people in extreme poverty fell to 15 per cent, the state built highways and cable cars, and cities grew.
But incomes began to fall in 2014.
(AP)
Assuming the presidency, Arce described his country’s recession as the worst in 40 years.
He recently said gasoline and diesel production no longer covered national consumption, and that the country had to import 86 per cent of its diesel and 56 per cent of its gasoline because of a lack of exploration and production.
Households also have been forced to grapple with high food prices.
Meanwhile, tensions between Morales and his party continued to rise.
In November, Arce criticized his opponents and said they “dreamed of new coup d’état”.
ICYMI: Bolivian president Arce thwarts coup attempt as armed forces withdraw from palace
Bolivian armed forces withdrew from the presidential palace in La Paz after president Luis Arce denounced an attempted coup led by General Juan Jose Zuniga, who had recently been stripped of his command.
Mr Arce called for public and international support to defend democracy.
Gen Zuniga’s troops had earlier stormed the palace but retreated after Arce reinstated control and swore in a new military commander, Reuters reported.
The US and regional leaders condemned the coup attempt, while ex-president Evo Morales mobilized his supporters to defend the government.
The political tension arises ahead of the 2025 general elections, with Morales planning to run against Arce.
Who is Juan Jose Zuniga – army commander who led a coup in Bolivia?
A controversial figure in Bolivian politics, Juan Jose Zuniga – arrested since the attempted coup – opposes former Bolivian president Evo Morales, who still holds significant influence in the country. Current president Luis Arce is from the same party as Morales.
Zuniga has been vocal in his criticism of Mr Morales, who plans to run for president again in 2025.
The now-sacked army chief declared Mr Morales “could not be the president of this country again” and vowed not to let him “trample on the constitution and disobey the public’s mandate”.
(AP)
Accused of embezzling nearly 2.7m bolivianos [£286,421] during his military career, Gen Zuniga’s understanding of political dynamics helped him rise in the armed forces, according to according to El Deber newspaper.
Mr Morales has also accused Gen Zuniga of leading a military organisation plotting against him.
Big stakes and high tension as Biden-Trump debate looms
When Donald Trump and Joe Biden take to the debate stage on Thursday night, it will be a reunion of sorts – although not exactly a friendly one.
A current president has never before debated his predecessor, and the bad blood between these two men will be obvious on the CNN debate stage in Atlanta.
Trump never conceded the 2020 election to President Biden and days after his supporters attacked the US Capitol, he broke with tradition by refusing to attend his opponent’s inauguration.
The two men are now facing off again for the presidency and this debate will mark the first time in this election campaign that millions of Americans are sitting up and paying attention.
The stakes are high and the tension in the room will be a notch above past tussles, as both men try to convince US voters that they deserve their ballot in November.
An unusual evening
Thursday’s debate will also mark the first time that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have appeared together since their debates four years ago. The initial encounter in 2020 was an acrimonious affair, punctuated by repeated interruptions and Mr Biden’s frustrated “Will you shut up, man?” demand.
At the start of the second debate that year, delayed by Trump’s Covid diagnosis, the two men did not even shake hands.
This time, both men are out of practice. Neither has participated in any kind of debate in nearly four years, as Trump skipped the Republican primary debates on his way to becoming the party's presumptive nominee earlier this year.
Incumbent presidents frequently come out flat-footed in their opening re-election debate - a common explanation is that they are rusty or unused to being challenged after four years in the White House bubble. In this case, however, both candidates could face that challenge.
Unlike past debates, this one will be conducted in a cable television studio without a live audience to cheer - or groan. That was a request by the Biden campaign, which reportedly was concerned after a raucous Trump town hall forum hosted by CNN last year.
The debate will also feature muted microphones for candidates during their opponent's allotted speaking time, which might prevent it from spiralling into the chaos that characterised the first Trump-Biden debate in 2020. But it also could make this version a less memorable affair.
Trump and Mr Biden last faced off in October 2020, ahead of that year's presidential election
The expectations game
If one listened only to conservative commentators, President Biden will be lucky to make it through the debate without falling asleep, freezing up or wandering around the stage in confusion.
Republicans, from Trump on down, have characterised the president as senile and infirm, a shell of the man he once was.
While these attacks have played upon very real voter concern about the durability of an octogenarian president, it also has set a low bar for Mr Biden’s performance - an expectation that he has exceeded in the past, including during his energetic State of the Union address in early March.
Trump campaign officials recently tried to nudge that bar higher, noting that Mr Biden proved himself to be very effective during the 2012 vice-presidential debate against then-congressman Paul Ryan. They have also questioned the impartiality of debate host CNN.
“Will CNN decide that they are facilitator, or will CNN become a participant?” Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita asked on Tuesday.
Trump and his campaign have also spread claims that Mr Biden will need to rely on unspecified “performance enhancing drugs” during the debate. The notion has been vehemently denied by President Biden's team but the seeding of such rumours could lay the ground for post-debate excuses if the president gets the better of his predecessor on Thursday.
Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said the former president was resorting to "lies" because he is “scared of being held accountable for his toxic agenda”.
President Biden may not be the only one with an opportunity to defy expectations, however. Democrats have been warning for more than a year that Trump is obsessed with revenge and retribution, and that he is an aspiring dictator who presents an existential threat to American democracy.
Biden campaign officials have said that Trump “snapped” after his 2020 election defeat and is a different man than Americans elected in 2016.
If the former president can keep his cool for 90 minutes and soften some of his sharper edges, it may help him convince the American public that the dire warnings about a potential second Trump term in office are overblown.
“Biden has got to prove that the perception that he's too old for the job is not true,” Mike Murphy, a long-time Republican political consultant, told Americast, the BBC's podcast on US politics.
“Trump's got to prove that he is not the unlikable madman that half the country thinks he is. So it's an opportunity for both of them - but also the risk is high.”
The issues
Coming into this debate, polling indicated that voters gave Trump better marks on the economy and immigration - two of the top issues for American voters.
Meanwhile, the president was favoured on abortion, healthcare and the environment.
The winner of Thursday night’s debate could well be the candidate who can best land memorable lines on areas of strength while defending his weaknesses.
Can President Biden convince voters that he shares their concerns about a surge in immigration but has been stymied by Republicans in trying to deal with it? Will former president Trump find a way to convince voters another term in office won’t lead to greater restrictions on abortion – particularly given that he appointed three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the federal right to the procedure?
Mr Biden has been trying for more than a year to convince the American public that the economy is better than they think it is. He’ll have a chance to make that case again to an audience of tens of millions, but he’ll have to do so in the face of what’s sure to be withering attacks from his opponent, who is expected to focus on the soaring prices and high inflation that Americans have had to live with in recent years.
“We know that Joe Biden is going to try to blame everything on President Trump,” Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller told reporters on Tuesday.
He added: “Americans know the difference between the Trump economy, which was great, where everyone was doing better, and the Biden economy.”
Thursday's CNN showdown will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, where preparations are already underway
Getting personal
Last week, the Biden campaign launched a new series of advertisements directly attacking Trump for his recent criminal felony conviction in a New York court.
Recent polls have indicated that the guilty verdict has cost Donald Trump support among the independent voters who could prove decisive in this election.
There’s little question that Trump will be asked about the history-making court case at the debate and that President Biden will be poised to strike. If the former president gets drawn into a tirade against corrupt judges and rigged courts, it could further alienate moderate voters.
“If they can get Trump to burn the mic being a madman on neurotic defence, that that is a very good debate thing,” Mr Murphy said.
Meanwhile, President Biden has a court case of his own to deal with. His son Hunter’s conviction on felony firearm charges was also history-making, and the president - while not implicated in the case - was emotionally invested in its outcome.
Trump may take a few swipes at Hunter Biden, if not about the gun case then about his upcoming tax evasion trial, which could expose controversial details about the younger Biden's business dealings. Trump will probably attempt to paint Hunter Biden's conviction as evidence of more widespread corruption in what he calls the “Biden crime family”.
A long way to go
This is the earliest presidential debate in modern US history - held before either candidate has become the formal nominee of their party. That means the showdown could set the mood and the measure of the campaign to come, solidifying some loosely held views about the candidates and better defining the issues and stakes around November's vote.
But barring a truly catastrophic mistake by one of the candidates, the early timing could mean that when Election Day arrives, this June event will be a distant memory for the majority of Americans who only sporadically follow politics.
Both candidates will have a chance to reset and rebuild from any damage during their tightly scripted national conventions, which are taking place later in the summer. There's then another debate scheduled in September that could further erase this week from voter memories.
It’s a reality that a senior Biden campaign aide, speaking to the BBC's media partner CBS, acknowledged.
“The June debate is not a moment that we expect to define the trajectory of the election or move poll numbers in the near-term," the advisor said, adding that voters will require “consistent time and effort".
In other words, this debate is the start of a marathon, not the end of the race.
Through the window of Agostini's Italian in Kingston, just minutes from Parliament House, curious diners watched on as an unexpected spectacle started to develop on the street outside.
The usual parliamentary sitting week crowd had packed in for an obligatory midweek meal.
On the Wednesday menu: dinner and a show.
The undeniably patient staff at the East Hotel had no idea what was about to hit them, as media started to roll into the lobby just before 7pm.
WikiLeaks had announced on social media it was to be the venue for a press conference, less than two hours after the organisation's founder, Julian Assange, was due to touch down in Canberra.
Media jostled for position in the "Crema Room" — a small meeting space off the hotel lobby. TV screens had been set up with QR codes, with WikiLeaks hoping for support for their expensive bid to secure Assange's release.
Journalists, photographers and crews from international outlets also began to pile in, including many who had bolted down the Hume Highway from Sydney as it became clear Assange was flying directly from Saipan to his nation's capital.
Some couldn't hide their bemusement as they took in the somewhat haphazard setting they'd wandered into.
News started to trickle through that Assange's private plane had landed just after 7:30pm — the same jet Taylor Swift had chartered to fly around Australia months earlier.
Numbers started to swell. Banners were unfurled at the front door of the East Hotel by supporters praising the man they see as a freedom-fighting hero — a view not necessarily shared by all.
Assange's wife, Stella, his father, John Shipton, long-time legal counsel Jennifer Robinson and US lawyer Barry Pollack were whisked into the basement car park in a blacked-out minivan, bypassing the bulk of the media pack waiting for their triumphant arrival.
Almost as if someone had flicked a switch — suddenly, it was on.
WikiLeaks shared a photo of the crowd that gathered at Julian Assange's hotel in Kingston.(Twitter: WikiLeaks)
The East Hotel lobby resembled something closer to a mosh pit, as more and more supporters and miscellaneous sticky-beakers crammed in.
The professional and courteous hotel concierge staff only raised their voice in an attempt at crowd control when some tried to use their front desk as a platform for a better vantage point.
Guests watched on from above, leaning on the atrium balustrades outside their suites as the madness developed below. Among them, MPs from across the political spectrum — Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather, former Liberal minister Melissa Price and Labor backbencher Rob Mitchell.
In the middle of the mosh was Greens senator Jordon Steele-John and the man he replaced in the upper house, Scott Ludlam.
Labor's Josh Wilson and journalist-turned-independent MP Zoe Daniel watched on, having just finished dinner herself, with Nasser Mashni from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network weaving his way through the masses.
The crowd was abuzz as supporters fed off each other's nervous energy and unfounded rumours. Many seemed to think their man was going to appear in person, even though there was little to suggest that would be the case.
Press scrums are often robust environments, where words are rarely minced. But it's safe to say there were more than a few expletives exchanged between camera crews and the masses as the pressure built.
When Stella Assange, Jennifer Robinson and US-based lawyer Barry Pollack emerged, the crowd surged again. People cheered, clapped and whooped.
The trio made their way across the lobby, the sea of people parting slowly as they attempted to get to the press conference forward-sizzled hours earlier on social media.
The temperature outside may have plummeted, but the heat inside the "Crema Room" was almost sub-tropical.
Media packed into the Crema Room at East Hotel Kingston, where Assange's team held a press conference.
Jennifer Robinson started to speak but was quickly interrupted by shouting from the back of the room. Supporters of Assange were trying to force their way in, wanting the event to be a victory speech rather than a press conference.
The pushing and shoving continued throughout, to the disdain of those inside. Stella Assange was clearly emotionally and physically exhausted, and at times was battling to be heard.
One visiting journalist expressed her extreme displeasure at what was happening behind her with a blunt and forceful declaration — "stop touching me!"
The Assange-stans who made it into the room weren't happy with the tone of some questions from the media, tutting and jeering in response to questions about the legacy of WikiLeaks and whether some of its publications had caused harm.
It was somewhat ironic, given their hero's commitment to freedom of the press.
As the questions ended and the trio were whisked back to privacy, the cheering started again.
One local resident approached me outside.
"I saw it on the news and thought I'd wander over to watch. It's remarkable this is happening here in Kingston!"
People felt like they'd just witnessed history, even if they hadn't seen Julian Assange himself after his more-than-decade-long legal ordeal.
While the world's eyes were trained on the East Hotel, the legendary watering hole next door, the Kingston Hotel, was heaving as New South Wales won game two of the State of Origin.
Most blissfully ignorant of the victory being claimed just across the road.
Joe Biden's age is written on his resting face, the one that stares into camera like it's your fault.
It's the look of his 81 years and it doesn't look great on a debate stage - more ready for bed than for a second term.
It matters in Atlanta.
Biden enters the TV face-off ridiculed by opponents as mentally unfit for the job.
It's a perception embedded in the public consciousness, fed by high-profile episodes of supposed "brain freeze" - this, despite a robust rejection of frailty by the White House.
A CBS/YouGov poll earlier this month found that only about a third of voters thought Biden had the cognitive ability to serve as president, compared with half for Trump.
How Biden performs in the hostile environment of a no-notes, live TV debate could be an occasion to confirm or confound age concern.
He needs to avoid reinforcing the notion of weakness.
If this occasion is pivotal in the presidential race, that's where the pivot point lies.
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Biden freezes during holiday celebrations
Millions will watch the debate from start to finish but millions won't - they'll consume it via the social media breakdown and base their judgements accordingly.
Ninety minutes of television will come down, largely, to viral "moments", cut and pasted as campaign touchstones to drive fundraising and political ads.
In the modern era, they are the moments that can define a political campaign and the difference between success and failure - a TV contest, and so more, could be lost on a momentary lapse.
Biden 'shadow-boxing' ahead of main event
The president and his team have been shadow-boxing through mock debates at his Camp David retreat. Biden's personal lawyer, Bob Bauer has been playing the role of Trump.
Faking it in the Maryland hills will be in stark contrast to the real thing in Atlanta.
Presidential advisers who micro-manage their man and his environment will be throwing him solo into a situation uncontrolled and unpredictable.
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They will settle for "State of the Union" Biden. In addressing America's political establishment in March, his performance was suitably presidential.
As Democrats sighed relief, Trump growled resentment, accusing Biden of being "all jacked up" on cocaine.
He's at it again, suggesting that the president will take a "shot in the ass" as a chemical booster ahead of the TV debate - in doing so, he's laying the ground for a strong Biden performance, having previously written him off.
Trump's less structured preparations
Donald Trump's preparations have been less structured than Biden's. Advisers have told him to focus on subject matter with which he scores best with voters - inflation, immigration and crime among them.
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How did Biden beat Trump in the 2020 debates?
The two men haven't been in the same room together since they last debated before the 2020 election.
Four years on, the conditions are different. There will be no studio audience for punchline response and reassurance, only a penetrating silence that will sharpen scrutiny - from the moderators and from each other.
“We need the Bolivian people to mobilize and organize themselves against this coup d’état and in favor of democracy,” he said.
“We cannot allow, once again, attempted coups to claim Bolivian lives.”
Armored vehicles were used to ram the door of the government palace in La Paz. Mr Arce said that the coup attempt, reportedly led by the general commander of the army, failed and he replaced his military chiefs.
The president was seen on video confronting Gen Zuniga, and ordering him to stand down.
“I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Mr Arce said.
After taking over, the new head of the army ordered the troops back to bases. “I order all that are mobilised to return to their units, said the newly named army chief José Wilson Sánchez, according to the Associated Press.
President Luis Arce’s career has mirrored Bolivia’s economic trajectory from boom to bust
The president of Bolivia, who was the target of a failed coup Wednesday, is a 60-year-old leftist whom many see as an opponent of Washington-backed free-market and neoliberal policies.
Luis Arce, who studied economics in London, was economy minister under President Evo Morales, whose time in office from 2006 to 2019 made him an icon of the Latin American left.
After Morales left office, Arce became president in November 2020, following Jeanine Añez’s short time in office.
Bolivian television showed Arce confronting the apparent leader of the rebellion — the general commander of the army — in the hallway of the government palace Wednesday night.
“I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce said.
Arce named a new army commander, who immediately ordered the troops to stand down. Their retreat ended the rebellion after just three hours.
(AP)
Arce’s career has mirrored Bolivia’s economic trajectory from boom to bust. He worked in the Central Bank from 1987 to 2006 and worked for Morales administering a bonanza in metals and hydrocarbons prices that came to be known as the “Bolivian Miracle.”
But by the time Arce took office, Bolivia was hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and social tensions set off by Morales’ 2019 departure after street protests and extreme pressure from the military.
Neoliberal reforms in the 1990s helped Bolivia become a significant energy producer, and it moved from a low-income to a middle-income nation, according to the World Bank. The percentage of people in extreme poverty fell to 15 per cent, the state built highways and cable cars, and cities grew.
But incomes began to fall in 2014.
(AP)
Assuming the presidency, Arce described his country’s recession as the worst in 40 years.
He recently said gasoline and diesel production no longer covered national consumption, and that the country had to import 86 per cent of its diesel and 56 per cent of its gasoline because of a lack of exploration and production.
Households also have been forced to grapple with high food prices.
Meanwhile, tensions between Morales and his party continued to rise.
In November, Arce criticized his opponents and said they “dreamed of new coup d’état”.
ICYMI: Bolivian president Arce thwarts coup attempt as armed forces withdraw from palace
Bolivian armed forces withdrew from the presidential palace in La Paz after president Luis Arce denounced an attempted coup led by General Juan Jose Zuniga, who had recently been stripped of his command.
Mr Arce called for public and international support to defend democracy.
Gen Zuniga’s troops had earlier stormed the palace but retreated after Arce reinstated control and swore in a new military commander, Reuters reported.
The US and regional leaders condemned the coup attempt, while ex-president Evo Morales mobilized his supporters to defend the government.
The political tension arises ahead of the 2025 general elections, with Morales planning to run against Arce.
Who is Juan Jose Zuniga – army commander who led a coup in Bolivia?
A controversial figure in Bolivian politics, Juan Jose Zuniga – arrested since the attempted coup – opposes former Bolivian president Evo Morales, who still holds significant influence in the country. Current president Luis Arce is from the same party as Morales.
Zuniga has been vocal in his criticism of Mr Morales, who plans to run for president again in 2025.
The now-sacked army chief declared Mr Morales “could not be the president of this country again” and vowed not to let him “trample on the constitution and disobey the public’s mandate”.
(AP)
Accused of embezzling nearly 2.7m bolivianos [£286,421] during his military career, Gen Zuniga’s understanding of political dynamics helped him rise in the armed forces, according to according to El Deber newspaper.
Mr Morales has also accused Gen Zuniga of leading a military organisation plotting against him.
Recently sacked army commander Gen Juan Jose Zuniga was detained on suspicion of terrorism and armed uprising, the Guardian reported.
On Wednesday, he led military units into Plaza Murillo in La Paz, where they stormed the presidential palace, with an armoured vehicle ramming a door and soldiers rushing inside.
By late afternoon, President Luis Arce had named Jose Wilson Sanchez Velasquez as the new military commander, who then called on the soldiers to return to their barracks and avoid bloodshed.
Meanwhile, Gen Zuniga was apprehended at the entrance to the general staff headquarters in La Paz and was seen being driven away in a white police pickup truck.
Bolivia’s minister of health, Maria Renee Castro, said eight people had been injured due to impact from pellets following the coup attempt and ensuing civilian protests.
Civilians gathered in protest as hooded and armed individuals surrounded the square, leading to clashes and injuries, the daily La Razon reported.
Now-sacked general Juan Jose Zuniga, who led the coup attempt, was later detained.
Latin American leaders unite to condemn Bolivia coup attempt
Several Latin American leaders, including Mexico’s president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro, and Uruguay’s president Luis Lacalle Pou, condemned the attempted coup and expressed support for Bolivia’s president Luis Arce.
Chile’s president Gabriel Boric also condemned the use of force by a faction of Bolivia’s army, standing in support of Bolivia’s democracy. He told reporters that he “immediately” contacted his Bolivian counterpart to offer his “solidarity”.
European leaders also voiced their concerns. Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez called for respect for democracy and the rule of law, condemning the military movements in Bolivia.
The British ambassador in Bolivia, Richard Porter, echoed these sentiments. “The United Kingdom condemns any attempt to take power by unconstitutional means,” he said.
Armoured vehicle breaks through door at Bolivian presidential palace as country faces coup attempt
President Luis Arce issued a video statement ordering the general commander of the Army, Juan José Zúñiga, to stand down.
“The country is facing an attempted coup d’état. Here we are, firm in Casa Grande, to confront any coup attempt. We need the Bolivian people to organise,” Mr Arce said.
Speaking to journalists outside the government building, Mr Zúñiga said that “for now” he recognizes Mr Arce as commander-in-chief.
Armoured vehicles rammed into the doors of Bolivia’s presidential palace in La Paz on Wednesday, 26 June, during what appeared to be an attempted military coup. President Luis Arce issued a video statement ordering the general commander of the Army, Juan José Zúñiga, to stand down. “The country is facing an attempted coup d’état. Here we are, firm in Casa Grande, to confront any coup attempt. We need the Bolivian people to organise,” Mr Arce said. Speaking to journalists outside the government building, Mr Zúñiga said that “for now” he recognizes Mr Arce as commander-in-chief.
Bolivia’s president raises clenched fist after failed coup
Bolivian President Luis Arce raises a clenched fist surrounded by supporters and media, outside the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024 (AP)
