He is said to have planned a coup
Bolivia’s opposition leader arrested
Police have arrested Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho for his involvement in an alleged coup.
ARCHIVE – Santa Cruz Gov. Luis Fernando Camacho shows the thumbs up outside the Presidential Palace in 2019 after President Morales was forced to leave office. Photo: Juan Karita/AP/dpa
The governor of the state of Santa Cruz was arrested on Wednesday on the basis of an arrest warrant, the attorney general said. The right-wing politician is accused of playing an important role in the protests against the then head of state Evo Morales in 2019. Morales eventually had to resign, the current left-wing government sees the protests at the time as a coup d’état.
The government of the economically strong state of Santa Cruz described the arrest of its governor as a kidnapping. The 43-year-old was arrested during an irregular police operation and taken to an unknown location, the provincial government said. She held President Luis Arce responsible for Camacho’s security.
After ex-President Morales resigned and fled abroad, Camacho ran for president in 2020. Most recently, he led a general strike in his department to force an early census. The Santa Cruz government hopes that this will result in more tax revenue and more seats in parliament.
(SDA)