Protesters woo military
CARACAS As opponents of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro confront his government with intensifying protests, they are also challenging him in a high-stakes battle for the sympathies of the nation’s armed forces.
The demonstrations have drawn huge crowds this week but appear unlikely to force Maduro to accept demands for new elections and a return to democratic rule – so opposition leaders are making unusually direct appeals to the country’s military leaders, imploring them to rein in the president and defy orders to suppress the demonstrations.
Their calls have highlighted the central role of Venezuela’s powerful military commanders in the struggle for the country’s future.
Aware of Venezuela’s history of military rebellions, Maduro has worked to secure the loyalty of its commanders, granting them influential roles and benefits. But with fissures emerging in his gov- ernment, and the economy tanking, the opposition sees an opportunity to apply pressure on the embattled president through an institution crucial to his survival. REUTERS
The leader of the oppositioncontrolled legislature, Julio Borges, has made repeated statements in recent weeks asking the armed forces to ‘‘break their silence’’. He insists Maduro has ‘‘kidnapped’’ once-prestigious military institutions, making them complicit in the government’s corruption and human rights abuses.
He and other Maduro opponents insist they are not calling for a military coup. They also appear energised by recent, rare displays of public dissent from top members of Maduro’s government, most notably after Supreme Court judges tried to strip the opposition-controlled legislature of its authority last month.
The chances that high-level officers would openly break with Maduro appear slim. He has named his hardline vicepresident, Tareck El Aissami, to lead a special ‘‘anti-coup’’ commission to sniff out dissent. He has also filled the highest ranks of his government with loyal generals, several of whom are facing indictments in the United States on corruption and drug trafficking charges.
Rather than rebel, military leaders could force the govern- ment to negotiate with the opposition by signaling an unwillingness to use escalating force on protesters. At least nine people have died in the unrest this month, according to human rights groups, and another 11 were killed in a Caracas slum during looting that began on Friday.
Maduro has pointed to Borges’ statements as evidence that his opponents want to unseat him by force.
His mentor, the late Hugo Chavez, was temporarily ousted in a 2002 military coup that split Venezuela’s armed forces. Several commanders played a decisive role in helping masses of Chavez supporters restore him to power.
But unlike Chavez, Maduro does not have a military pedigree, and has tried to win the loyalty of the armed forces by promoting thousands of officers supportive of his government, vastly expanding the number of generals and admirals. Washington Post