Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido on Friday called for a demonstration to reignite the protest movement he hopes will force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office.
Guaido called on “women, students [and] unions” to join him in a demonstration outside the legislature on March 10 “to find a solution to the crisis” and demand “a truly free election.”
Venezuela has been beset by five years of recession. Poverty has soared and millions have fled the country, while hyperinflation has left many people’s salaries and savings worthless.
A year ago, the South American country lurched into crisis when Guaido declared himself acting president after the legislature branded Maduro an “usurper” — his re-election in 2018 came in polls widely dismissed as rigged.
Guaido wants Maduro to stand down in favor of a transitional government that would hold free and fair elections.
Although Guaido quickly secured the backing of more than 50 countries and initially led street protests drawing tens of thousands of people, his popularity has waned.
However, he has returned from a high-profile international tour — meeting US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron — to drum up support for his renewed push.
Meanwhile, Maduro has tried to shove Guaido off of the political stage by backing a rival claimant to lead the legislature.
Luis Parra, a former Guaido ally, on Jan. 5 declared himself National Assembly president as armed forces loyal to Maduro prevented Guaido from entering the legislature building for what was supposed to be a vote to ratify him as leader.
Several times since then, the armed forces have blocked Guaido and allied legislators from entering the legislature.
“We know what the dictatorship’s attitude is: they’re going to try to blockade, they’re going to try to intimidate, they’re going to try to persecute,” Guaido told about 400 supporters in a meeting in Caracas.
“If they want to send me or any family member to prison, here I am,” he added.
His uncle Juan Marquez was last week detained at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas.
The government claims that Marquez, who was on a flight with Guaido returning from Portugal, was carrying explosives — an allegation his defense team has called a “vile setup.”
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