Arce said he emerged “strong” after the coup attempt in Bolivia.

Center-left Bolivian President Luis Arce told Reuters on Friday that street support had strengthened his government after the failed military coup a few days ago and that he would continue to work until his last day, in one of his first interviews since the dramatic attack.

The quiet economist became the focus of global attention on Wednesday, when rebel military units took control of La Paz’s central square and stormed the gate of the presidential palace with an armored vehicle to allow soldiers to rush inside.

“The support we receive from people on the streets and the international support we receive has strengthened us to be here again and continue our work,” said Arce, a disciple of Karl Marx credited with fueling Bolivia’s “economic miracles” in the early 2000s. Minister of Economy under iconic leader Evo Morales.

“Nothing has changed at all for us (…) We will continue working until the last day,” he said at the government headquarters in La Paz, the political capital of the highlands, where armed soldiers stormed within just a few meters. Away a few days ago.

The Bolivian judiciary decided on Friday to place former army commander Juan Jose Zuniga in pretrial detention, accused of terrorism and armed uprising against the state.