President Luis Arce’s career has mirrored Bolivia’s economic trajectory from boom to bust

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The president of Bolivia is a 60-year-old leftist whom many see as an opponent of Washington-backed free-market and neoliberal policies. Luis Arce was the target of a failed coup Wednesday when the general commander of the army led rebels to Bolivia’s government palace. Arce named a new army commander, and the rebellion ended after just three hours. Arce studied economics in London and was economy minister under President Evo Morales, whose time in office from 2006 to 2019 made him an icon of the Latin American left. Arce became president in 2020 and his career has mirrored Bolivia’s economic trajectory from boom to bust.