Venezuelans’ opposition to Maduro’s government gains momentum

Venezuelan opposition parties are now calling for nationwide protests that aim to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Opposition party, National Assembly, made the call after the country’s army arrested a small group of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard (GNB).

The GNB stands accused of trying to organise a coup – a move that failed. Opposition parties continue to lament how unstable the country has become.

The country army announced that small group of the GNB, who kidnap a few commissioned officers and stole guns, were arrested on Monday afternoon.

Following the crackdown on coup plotters, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said: “Criminals had been arrested and would feel the full force of the law.”

Following a series of videos shared by uniformed GNB members on social media, many citizens hit the streets and security forces interfered by spraying demonstrators with tear gas. This was three kilometres away from the Presidential Place, in capital city Caracas’s district of Cotiza.

In the video, a group of uniformed and armed men says they would not recognise Maduro’s government. Introducing himself as Sergeant Armando Figueroa, he called on Venezuelans and soldiers to come to the streets to support the revolt.

“You wanted us to go down the street to defend the constitution, we are here. You asked us to light the fuse, we are doing it. We need your support,” shouted Figueroa.

Brazil and Argentina’s Presidents support protestors

Despite the arrest of coup plotters, protests against Maduro are gaining momentum. “There have been similar revolts in the past and there will be in the future,” said a Venezuelan native and professor of political science at the University of Los Andes in the capital of Colombia, Victor Mijares.

Presidents Jair Bolsonaro, of Brazil, and Argentina counterpart Mauricio Macri are known critics of Maduro’s government.

Macri describes Maduro as a “dictator,” and Bolsonaro has encouraged Venezuelans to resist and stay confident against the Maduro regime.

According to DW, Bandara said the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, could assume a pivotal role in a revolt.

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo last month called on the international community to unite to “liberate” Venezuela from “authoritarian” Maduro.

Trump administration call for a transition government in Venezuela

President Donal Trump’s administration has described Maduro as a dictator and declared the National Assembly as the country’s legitimate government.

“Maduro is a dictator, with no legitimate claim to power. He never won the presidency in a free and fair election. And he’s maintained his grip of power by imprisoning anyone opposing him. The US joins all freedom-loving nations in recognising the National Assembly as the last vestige of democracy in your country, for it’s the only body elected by you, the people,” said American vice-President Mike Pence.

Following Pence’s comment of “dictator with no legitimate claim to power,” Maduro yesterday said he had ordered a “revision” of diplomatic relations with the US.

“I’m going to give you the sash, big boy, to see what you do with the country,” said a sarcastic Maduro to Guaido, the National Assembly leader.

Maduro’s rise to the top office

Venezuela’s leftist leader Maduro came to power in 2013 following the death of Hugo Chavez. Maduro was re-elected in a contested election in May 2018 with 68 percent of the vote. He promised that he would supply starving families with food if the nation voted for him. Opposition leaders and the international community have denounced his election as being illegitimate.

United Nations (UN) announced last year that 2.3 million Venezuelan citizens have migrated to other countries since 2014 when economic problems began.

Maduro stands firm as Venezuela continues to bleed economically

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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/01/23/venezuelans-opposition-to-maduros-government-gains-momentum/