Guaidó followed up his call for a military revolt against Maduro with one for massive street protests.
By Mariana Zuñiga and Anthony Faiola Anthony Faiola Correspondent covering Latin America, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, human rights, poverty, globalization and economics Email Bio Follow May 1 at 7:26 AM More clashes are expected in Venezuela a day after opposition leaderJuan Guaidó launched what he called his final effort to enlist the military in toppling President Nicolás Maduro.
●Video showed an armored vehicle plowing into a crowd of Guaidó supporters in Caracas. The White House posted the footage on Twitter and blamed the “Maduro regime.” A 25-year-old man died, and dozens of people were injured by rubber bullets, tear gas and live ammunition in melees across the country Tuesday, according to local observers and hospital officials. The Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, a nonprofit that tracks protests, said a man was fatally shot in the chest during a protest in the interior state of Aragua.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia had persuaded Maduro not to flee the country on a plane waiting for him at the airport — a statement that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed as fake news. In a televised address in which he dismissed what he called a “foolish” and “failed” coup instigated by the United States, Maduro promised “a large, millions-strong march of the working class.” He added that “we have been confronting different types of aggression and attempted coups never before seen in our history.”
National security adviser John Bolton named officials who he said had been in secret talks with Guaidó, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. In an apparent attempt to divide Maduro’s government, he called on Padrino and others to keep their “commitment” to help oust the president. In his own televised address, Maduro mentioned Guaidó and López by name before announcing that prosecutors would investigate “these great crimes against the constitution.” Maduro claimed that of those military personnel who had rallied to the opposition’s side Tuesday, most quickly returned to their posts, leaving a group of “20 or so” siding with the opposition.
As a video spread of Guaidó’s appearance at the La Carlota military base, Internet services in Venezuela were “restricted,” according to NetBlocks, an organization that tracks connection and electricity services, and people were heading to the streets. At La Carlota, Guaidó called for “nonviolent” action, but his actions posed perhaps the most significant challenge to Maduro since Guaidó invoked constitutional powers and declared himself interim president. His claim has been recognized by the United States and more than 50 other nations.
“If Guaidó and López fail to split the military and rally top brass to their cause, then a big question is what happens to them personally and to the opposition cause more broadly,” she said. “They could end up tonight in jail or worse. They are taking a huge leap today.”
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