Duelling Venezuela leaders dig in defending presidency claims

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP):

The Venezuelan opposition leader who has declared himself interim president vowed on Friday that he would remain on the streets until the South American country has a transitional government, while President Nicolás Maduro dug in and accused his opponents of orchestrating a coup.

In duelling press conferences, Juan Guaido urged followers to stage another mass protest next week while Maduro pushed his oft-repeated call for dialogue. Each man appeared ready to defend his claim to the presidency no matter the cost, with Guaido telling supporters that if he is arrested, they should “stay the course” and peacefully protest.

But the stand-off could set the scene for more violence and has plunged troubled Venezuela into a new chapter of political turmoil that rights groups say has already left more than two dozen dead as thousands take to the street demanding that Maduro step down.

“They can cut a flower, but they will never keep spring from coming,” Guaido said to supporters yesterday, alluding to a similar phrase from the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Guaido’s talk with reporters at a square in Caracas turned into ade facto rally as thousands gathered after hearing he would speak in public for the first time since taking a symbolic oath on Wednesday proclaiming himself the nation’s rightful leader. Maduro, meanwhile, spoke in the presidential palace before a room of journalists.

The Trump administration announced that it was recognising Guaido as president quickly after his oath, leading Maduro to announce that he was breaking all diplomatic ties with the United States.

Maduro is accusing the opposition of working with the US to overthrow him. Though over a dozen nations as well as the Inter-American Development Bank are recognising Guaido as president, Maduro still has the support of powerful, long-time allies like Russia and China and is vowing to defend his socialist rule.

“This is nothing more than a coup d’état, ordered, promoted, financed, and supported by the government of the United States,” he said on Friday. “They intend to put a puppet government in Venezuela, destroy the state, and take colonial control of the country.”

But he added that he was still willing to talk with the opposition even if he “had to go naked”.

Yesterday, a caravan of black SUVs escorted a contingent of US embassy workers and their families to the Caracas airport. They were later seen checking into an American Airlines flight, some travelling with babies and guarded by security personnel.

Maduro, meanwhile, has recalled all Venezuelan diplomats from the US and ordered the nation’s embassy and consulates there closed. Guaido, once again seeking to sidestep Maduro, has urged all Venezuelan consulate workers to stay in their US posts.

The military is the traditional arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela, and the armed forces’ top brass has pledged its loyalty to Maduro, though security experts note that many within the lower ranks are disgruntled over low wages diminished by hyperinflation.

Still, most consider it a long shot for Guaido to win the military’s support.

“Stand on the side of the people,” Guaido urged the armed forces.

Maduro has not shown any hint he’s ready to cede power, setting up a potentially explosive struggle with international ramifications. He called Guaido on Friday “an agent for the gringos in Venezuela,” using a sometimes derogatory term for Americans. But he also said that he would be willing to talk with U.S. President Donald Trump and the opposition.