Venezuela opposition rally to keep up pressure on Maduro

[rooster59]

Venezuela opposition rally to keep up pressure on Maduro

 

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido waves to his supporters next to his wife Fabiana Rosales outside their house in Caracas, Venezuela January 31, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

 

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition supporters will hold rallies across the country on Saturday to show backing for self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido and to protest against the increasingly isolated socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

 

The mobilizations are meant to keep up the pressure after Washington recognized Guaido as the legitimate president and issued potentially crippling sanctions that are likely to further weaken the OPEC nation's struggling oil industry.

 

Maduro's critics also hope to encourage similar moves by European countries. Some European Union member states are expected to officially recognize Guaido next week, while others will likely take a more cautious stance of support.

 

"We'll see you in the streets tomorrow, Venezuela," said Guaido in a video message posted on Twitter. "We're doing well, we're doing very well."

 

Maduro on Saturday will also hold a rally, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez's first inauguration as president in 1999.

 

Washington has imposed sweeping sanctions on state-owned oil firm PDVSA in the toughest financial challenge yet to Maduro, as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump openly seeks to push him from power.

 

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told a Florida rally on Friday that the time for dialogue had ended and all options were on the table.

 

Venezuela is suffering from hyperinflation, produce shortages and a mass migration of citizens to neighboring Latin American countries - a situation likely to be worsened in the short term by the new sanctions.

 

Guaido swore himself in as interim president on Jan. 23 in a direct challenge to Maduro's rule and quickly won the backing of countries in the region, but still has no control over state institutions or any functions of day-to-day governance.

 

He has sent letters to Russia and China, both major creditors and allies of Maduro's government, saying that a change of government would be in the best interests of both countries.

 

Maduro's adversaries say he has run roughshod over democratic institutions, including the opposition-run congress, and destroyed the once-buoyant economy through a corruption-riddled exchange control system and arbitrary nationalizations.

 

The former union leader calls the sanctions and effort to force him from office an extension of the century-long efforts by the United States to control Latin American nations.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-02

 

[sirineou]

trump says that Maduro must resign because the other candidate got more votes.

  Wait ! WHAT?

[Jingthing]

These protesters are very brave. Recently Maduro sent his army goons into the slums to murder dissenters.

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[Jack100]

Slightly off topic or maybe not but I had the pleasure of living in a country , many years ago,  that decided to go down the 'managed economy "  road just like Venezuela .

Just like Venezuela in a very short time , expats had to bring in there own toilet paper !

 

[Jingthing]

42 minutes ago, Jack100 said:

Slightly off topic or maybe not but I had the pleasure of living in a country , many years ago,  that decided to go down the 'managed economy "  road just like Venezuela .

Just like Venezuela in a very short time , expats had to bring in there own toilet paper !

 

Don't blame socialism. Blame Maduro. 

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Don't blame socialism. Blame Maduro. 

A verY cursory  history of events that brought us to this. to make my final point at the end of this long read.  

in 1998 when Chavez was first elected Venezuela had a 50% poverty  rate despite having being one of the world's top oil producers since the 1930s and had good relations with the US. In the late 1970 at the highest GDP ever , Venezuela had a higher child mortality rate than that of Cuba and Costa Rica

In 2002 Chavez was overthrown for two days by a US supported military coup and installed Pedro Carmona as dictator.  Sixty people were killed  in the uprising to oust Camona and reinstall the democratically elected Chavez.

  Chavez was overthrown because two months earlier he had tried to float Venezuela's currency, as most economists suggested.

Months after the unsuccessful coup,the US backed opposition shut down the oil industry and drove the poverty rate to 60%

 even before the oil collapse of 2012 Venezuela's economy economy went into recession because of an inflation/ devaluation cycle that would have being prevented  if floating of the currency had being successful.

Refloating Venezuela's currency would had needed outside financing which the US blocked.

Chavez died from Cancer that many claim was caused by the CIA, regardless if true, you can't blame  Maduro from being a litle paranoid,

 

I am sure there is enough blame to go around, but instead of blaming just Maduro, let's also lay the blame where it belong.

IMO the US can not allowed a system other than its own in it's hemisphere to be successful ,and would do anything to subvert it . The only way we will know if socialism can be successful it would be if it was allowed to exist without outside interference, 

PS: as far as socialism is concerned. Stalin was to Marxism what the inquisition was to Christianity.

 

 

[Scott]

Off-topic, troll, bickering posts and replies removed.