Opposition supporters held a nationwide protest on Saturday in a bid to keep up the pressure on president Nicolás Maduro after the international community widely recognised self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president.
Continue reading...Category Archives: Juan Guaidó
‘We are very close’: Tens of thousands in Venezuela demand Maduro’s exit
Protests take place in cities across the country amid optimism from the opposition, as president speaks to rival march
Tens of thousands of Venezuelan protesters streamed on to the streets of the capital on Saturday for what they described as the final push to force Nicolás Maduro from power.
“I believe [the end] is coming very soon – this week,” said Barbara Angarita, 49, as she and thousands of other demonstrators poured down the Avenida Principal de las Mercedes in Caracas. “We must have a free country, free for all Venezuelans and for our descendants.”
Continue reading...Only Venezuela can solve its problems – meddling by outsiders isn’t the solution
The whole world waded in after Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president, but the global tug-of-war is dangerous and unhelpful
All crises are global, all solutions are local – and Venezuela is the latest case in point. No sooner had the young pretender, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president last month, ostensibly supplanting the corrupt old revolutionary, Nicolás Maduro, than the world piled in. The Trump administration insisted all countries must “pick a side” and back the “forces of freedom”. Russia denounced a US-backed “coup”. China, Latin American neighbours, Britain and the EU all scrambled for position, in accordance with their particular interests and prejudices.
In the past week, this international tug-of-war over Venezuela’s future has grown increasingly dangerous – and unhelpful – as protesters and security forces face off on the streets and the political impasse deepens.
John Bolton, the US national security adviser, is threatening “serious consequences” (meaning military intervention) should Guaidó be harmed or opposition supporters attacked. Maduro warns that the US could face a second Vietnam.
Why is Venezuela in crisis? – video explainer
Venezuelans have been in a state of uncertainty since Juan Guaidó, the leader of the democratically elected national assembly, declared himself the interim president in a move against the current leader, Nicolás Maduro. How did this once prosperous country descend into chaos?
Continue reading...Mass protests to sweep across Venezuela as Maduro clings on
Street demonstrations designed to drive Maduro out of office will be held on Saturday as he insists ‘we are indestructible’
Mass street protests designed to drive Nicolás Maduro out of office and into exile will sweep cities across Venezuela again on Saturday as Hugo Chávez’s successor fights for his political life and the future of their leftist Bolivarian revolution.
Maduro, who was first elected after Chávez’s death in 2013 and returned to office last year in a vote widely regarded as manipulated, has overseen a ruinous slide in the South American country’s fortunes.
Continue reading...‘¡Sí se puede!’ shouts rapturous crowd at Juan Guaidó rally
‘Yes we can!’ echo supporters of self-declared incumbent leader who calls for Saturday protests
The politician spearheading efforts to force Nicolás Maduro from power has vowed to step up his “fight for freedom” amid reports Venezuelan special forces had visited his home in the capital Caracas.
Addressing a packed theatre at the city’s Central University of Venezuela on Thursday lunchtime, Juan Guaidó said the opposition was determined to end Venezuela’s “tragedy” and lead the country into a new era of stability and prosperity.
Continue reading...Venezuela: Maduro accuses US of trying to ‘get hands on our oil’
Embattled president warns Donald Trump he risks turning country into new Vietnam
Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, has accused Donald Trump and a “group of extremists around him” of plotting to topple him in order to seize Venezuela’s oil, and warned he risked transforming the South American country into a new Vietnam.
In a four-minute Facebook video – published as Venezuela prepared on Wednesday for a day of fresh pro-opposition protests – Maduro said the leaders of the US “empire” were conspiring “to get their hands on our oil – just like they did in Iraq and in Libya”.
Continue reading...Venezuelan attorney general orders Guaidó investigation as crisis deepens
Tarek Saab said opposition leader would be investigated over his supposed role in ‘crimes that threaten the constitutional order’
Venezuela’s political crisis deepened on Tuesday as the country’s attorney general ordered an investigation into the opposition leader, who last week declared himself interim president in a rare challenge to the incumbent, Nicolás Maduro.
Tarek Saab, a Maduro loyalist, announced that Juan Guaidó – who has received the backing of the US and other regional powers including Brazil and Colombia – would be investigated over his supposed role in “serious crimes that threaten the constitutional order”.
Continue reading...Venezuelan security forces offered amnesty if they defect to opposition
Self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó tells troops they have ‘a guarantee of protection’
Members of Venezuela’s opposition canvassed military bases across the embattled nation on Sunday, offering amnesty to troops and police officers who defect from the South American nation’s embattled president Nicolás Maduro.
The bold attempt to dent Maduro’s grip on the military – long seen as the arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela – was led by Juan Guaidó, the leader of the opposition-held national assembly, who last Wednesday declared himself interim president until fresh elections are held.
Continue reading...Juan Guaidó: Venezuela has chance to leave chaos behind
Exclusive: self-declared interim president tells the Guardian he is set on forcing out Nicolás Maduro
The opposition leader who last week declared himself Venezuela’s rightful interim president has played down fears of a possible armed conflict and claimed his economically devastated nation was living through an “almost magical moment” in its newly revived quest for democracy.
In one of his first interviews since last Wednesday’s surprise move, Juan Guaidó told the Guardian he was set on “getting the job done” to force Nicolás Maduro from power and ending a humanitarian emergency which has fuelled the largest exodus in modern Latin American history.
Continue reading...Guaidó is brave. But Venezuela’s elite will not be easily overthrown
For all the young man’s popularity, the military are behind Maduro. Nothing will change unless they desert him
Venezuela’s generals did not immediately announce where they stood when Juan Guaidó, a young parliamentarian, was sworn in as “interim president” in front of a huge crowd in the streets of Caracas.
It was a largely symbolic assumption of office, since Guaidó has no power to enforce any decisions. But the new champion of the opposition was recognised as “legitimate president” by the administration of Donald Trump and other American and European powers, including the UK.
Continue reading...Venezuela’s military envoy to US defects to opposition and calls for more to follow
Juan Guaidó welcomes support from Washington attache, who urges other officers to recognise the ‘only legitimate president’
Venezuela’s top military envoy to the United States has defected from the government of Nicolás Maduro as the South American nation’s political crisis deepened.
Days after opposition leader Juan Guaidó proclaimed himself interim president amid social and economic chaos, Col Jose Luis Silva released a video on Saturday calling on other military officers to back the pretender.
Continue reading...Venezuelans cry out for change – but they dread foreign intervention
Juan Guaidó’s claim to power thrills and worries the crowds on the streets of Caracas
It was Friday lunchtime in Venezuela’s crumbling capital and Omar Mejías – for years a disciple of the comandante Hugo Chávez – had come to a plaza in the city’s east for what he hoped might be a glimpse of a brighter future.
On stage before him stood Juan Guaidó, a fresh-faced and until recently little-known politician, catapulted into the spotlight last week by the decision of the United States – and then a succession of other world powers – to recognise him, and not the incumbent Nicolás Maduro, as the legitimate president of this oil-rich but economically ravaged South American nation.
Continue reading...US asks world to ‘pick a side’ on Venezuela as UK calls for fair elections
Mike Pompeo urged countries to disconnect from Maduro’s government financially as Britain issued eight-day ultimatum
Britain has issued the embattled Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, a stark ultimatum, warning him it would throw its weight behind the country’s self-declared interim leader unless he called an election within the next eight days – as the US government called on the world to “pick a side” in the crisis.
Echoing calls from Berlin, Paris and Madrid, Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, said on Saturday it was clear Maduro was no longer the legitimate leader of the Latin American country after last year’s “deeply flawed” election.
Continue reading...Venezuela at the crossroads: the who, what and why of the crisis
Opposition leader Juan Guaidó is seeking to oust Nicolás Maduro by declaring himself interim president – but how did we get here?
Venezuela’s current plight can be traced to a revolution that went terribly wrong.
Continue reading...Venezuela: Juan Guaidó urges fresh protests and bids for Russia and China backing
Guaidó made his first public appearance since declaring himself Venezuela’s interim president in place of Nicolás Maduro
The leader of Venezuela’s newly energized opposition, Juan Guaidó, has summoned fresh street protests and reached out to China and Russia as he intensified his campaign to force Nicolás Maduro and his “arrogant” dictatorship from power.
In his first public appearance since declaring himself Venezuela’s interim president on Wednesday, the 35-year-old politician urged citizens to take to the streets and step up their battle against the man he dubbed “El Usurpador” (The Usurper).
Continue reading...Venezuela crisis: US pulls out staff and tells citizens to ‘strongly consider’ leaving
Defence minister Vladimir Padrino accuses opposition, US and regional allies of launching attempted coup against Maduro
The US state department has urged its citizens to “strongly consider” leaving Venezuela and ordered out non-emergency government staff as the head of the country’s armed forces warned of a civil war sparked by a US-backed “criminal plan” to unseat Nicolás Maduro.
In a live address to the nation on Thursday, the defence minister, Vladimir Padrino, accused the Venezuelan opposition led by Juan Guaidó, the United States and regional allies such as Brazil of launching an attempted coup against Maduro that risked bringing “chaos and anarchy” to the country.
Continue reading...Venezuela the day after: Caracas returns to grind of slow-burn crisis
Constitutional crisis takes a back seat to half-empty schools, sparsely stocked shops and grinding commutes across Caracas
Thursday morning in Caracas dawned much like any other day in the slow decline of Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution: sparsely stocked shops were open, commuters boarded decaying metro trains and clapped-out buses to get to work.
Schools were half-empty, buses were harder to find, but apart from that, the capital was mostly calm, and there was little indication of the previous day’s extraordinary events – or that two men now claim to be the country’s rightful ruler.
Continue reading...Venezuela crisis: what happens now after two men have claimed to be president?
The US and other states rushed to recognise Juan Guaidó but the path to dislodging the country’s leftwing leader is unclear
Venezuela’s political crisis was turned on its head on Wednesday as a succession of world powers declared they were recognizing the opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the South American country’s rightful interim president.
“The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime,” Donald Trump tweeted as he announced what some believe could prove a game-changing decision.
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