Bolivia has recalled its ambassador to Argentina for consultations and called Argentina’s ambassador in for questioning after President Javier Milei’s government claimed that Wednesday’s apparent coup attempt was “fraudulent.”

Milei’s far-right government is no stranger to diplomatic spats with left-leaning governments. But, in a rare case of Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales coinciding with a far-right leader, the Indigenous socialist ex-leader also claimed the attack had been a set-up on Sunday.

Analysts have expressed surprise at the apparent ease and speed with which the putsch was shut down, as well as the lack of support from the rest of the armed forces, leading to competing narratives of a rogue general versus an inside job. The high-profile claims now underscore the confusion and doubt surrounding the nature of Wednesday’s events — and concerns for the health of Bolivian democracy a year before the country’s next presidential elections.

On Wednesday afternoon, military regiments led by General Juan José Zúñiga forced entry into Bolivia’s presidential palace in La Paz, ramming the door with a tankette. In images that went around the world, President Luis Arce stormed downstairs to confront Zúñiga, before swearing in new military leaders in an emergency........

© Buenos Aires Herald