Power struggle rocks Venezuela
CARACAS: Opposition leader Juan Guaido took a bold step to revive his movement to seize power in Venezuela, taking to the streets to call for a military uprising that drew quick support from the Trump administration and fierce resistance from forces loyal to socialist Nicolas Maduro.
The violent street battles that erupted in parts of Caracas were the most serious challenge yet to Maduro’s rule.
And while the rebellion seemed to have garnered only limited military support, at least one high-ranking official announced he was breaking with Maduro, in a setback for the embattled president.
In a Tuesday night appearance on national television, Maduro had declared that the opposition attempted to impose an “illegitimate government” with the support of the United States and Colombia.
Meanwhile, Guaido sought to keep the momentum going at the end of the day by releasing his own video message in which he pressed Venezuelans to take to the streets again yesterday.
Amid the confusion, Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty.
But in a sign that Maduro’s inner circle could be fracturing, Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, the head of Venezuela’s feared SEBIN intelligence agency, wrote a letter to the Venezuelan people saying that it was now time to “rebuild the country”.
He lamented that corruption has become so rampant that “many high-ranking public servants practise it like a sport”.