Daniel Lozano

Updated Thursday, February 29, 2024-23:29

The Chamber of Deputies of La Paz has been in a state of constant fighting for a week, with blows both inside and outside the chamber.

The situation has become even more complicated this Thursday when the opposition leader

Carlos Mesa

denounced that the ruling party has launched a "self-coup" in Parliament, under siege by the "shock groups" of the Arcist sector (pro Luis Arce, president ) of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS).

"As he cannot do it legally within the parliamentary chamber,

a self-coup

is carried out by sending shock groups that are harassing our parliamentarians, whom they have kidnapped within the chamber in an incredible way, violating the rule of law," criticized former President Mesa.

Deputies denounced

attacks by government radicals

who have taken over the vicinity of Parliament and who have also managed to enter the legislative facilities.

The maximum tension between the ruling party and the opposition also occurs against the backdrop of the

fratricidal war between the Arcists and the followers of former president Evo Morales,

determined to recover presidential power at all costs.

The diatribe between one and the other revolves around the "self-prorogates", as they call the magistrates of the judicial body, who continue in their positions even though the judicial elections should have already been held.

"The emergency exits are completely closed, the officials have closed them," certified opposition member

Luisa Nayar,

second vice president of the Chamber.

The opposition accuses officials of having allowed radicals to enter Parliament to impose brute force, seeking to paralyze initiatives against the extension of magistrates close to the government.

To further complicate the situation, the president of Parliament, Arcist

Israel Huaytari,

accused the opponents and the evista sector of staging a "small coup d'état" by taking the stage of the Chamber.

"We have not bothered or offended any deputy. They intend to install a new board of directors," Huaytari defended himself.

The incidents in the Bolivian plurinational Parliament confirm the turbulent political environment suffered by the Andean country.

The fight between parliamentarians degenerated into

the seizure of the "testera",

as the dais that presides over the chamber is called in Bolivia, where the opponents have installed themselves in permanent vigil.

The fight has been going on for two days: while the opposition wants its proposals against the extension of judicial officials to be debated, the government is betting on giving way to the approval of international credits.