Opposition leader urges return to mass protests

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro has seen an ally forced from office and protests rattle leaders across Latin America in recent weeks, while he has enjoyed a period of relatively smooth sailing, expounding his socialist dream in nightly television addresses and attending international conferences.

But opposition leader Juan Guaidó is determined to disturb Maduro’s comfort, and has called on Venezuelans across the crisistorn nation to flood the streets Saturday for protests nearly a year after he launched his campaign to push Maduro from power.

“We don’t have a choice,” Guaidó told a rally this week, saying the circumstances are dire. “The alternative for this situation today is death. We want to live.”

Guaidó’s renewed call will test his ability to draw out masses, despite shrinking crowds rallying around him in recent months in a sign of disillusionment.

Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America think tank, said many people will be watching closely to gauge Guaidó’s ability to inspire, especially at home in Venezuela.

“Guaidó is under increasing pressure from within his coalition to present a realistic path forward,” Ramsey said. “There’s a lot riding on this.”

Guaidó’s call for renewed protests in Venezuela comes as political turmoil embroils governments across the region, from Chile to Ecuador to Bolivia, forcing presidents into concessions and even contributing to one’s departure. Bolivia’s President Evo Morales abruptly resigned and fled into exile in Mexico.

While all this happened, Maduro travelled to Azerbaijan for an international conference and even enjoyed a small bump in crude production after years of crashing levels and bad news for the oilrich nation.

Guaidó, 36, leaped to the center of Venezuela’s political fray when the oppositionled National Assembly appointed him as its leader. On Jan. 23, he declared that he was assuming presidential powers. He vowed to remove Maduro and hold new elections.

The United States was first among a steadily growing list of more than 50 nations and international bodies to endorse Guaidó. They say Maduro clings to power following a sham election in 2018. They accuse him of human rights violations and failed economic policies that have bankrupted Venezuela.

James Story, charge d’affaires for the Venezuela Affairs Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, said officials knew going in that forcing Maduro from power would never quick or easy. But he said Guaidó continues to have unwavering support from the U.S., the international community and more importantly from Venezuelans.