Nicolas Maduro: Marco Rubio 'Craziest of the Crazies'

longknife · Feb 25, 2014

If anything would help the Senator's political portfolio, this should. The leader of a country in utter turmoil dissing him?

As for certain posters here so what that it comes from a Breitbart source? It has lots of links and FACTS that you should absolutely hate @ http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/...ziest-Of-The-Crazies-US-Staged-Student-Deaths

waltky · Jan 16, 2016

Maduro gets taken to the woodshed...

Venezuela president gets rare blast of live TV criticism
Jan 16,`16 -- President Nicolas Maduro first declared an economic emergency due to "catastrophic" inflation and growth figures and then endured the indignity of a nationally televised scolding from the head of a newly empowered opposition Congress.

Congress leader Henry Ramos wagged his finger inches from the president's head in a state-of-the-nation rebuttal that was broadcast live across the South American country Friday - unprecedented media access for an opponent of the country's socialist revolution. Neither Maduro nor his predecessor, the late President Hugo Chavez, had ever contended with a hostile audience for a speech to Congress, but foes of the administration took control of the institution last week for the first time in 17 years, carried to victory on a wave of economic turmoil.

The government's Central Bank, which had kept key economic indicators to itself for more than a year, dumped a batch of new bad news earlier in the day. It said the country's economy contracted by 7.1 percent during the quarter that ended in September 2015, and inflation reached 141.5 percent. Maduro described the numbers as "catastrophic" as he defended an emergency declaration giving him 60 days to unilaterally enact sweeping decrees. He devoted most of his three-hour speech to what he called a "monstrous attack" on the economy by business owners and other foes of the leftist government, blaming them for most of the inflation and shortages.

Ramos took a professorial tone in rebuttal, saying that Maduro and Chavez themselves are responsible for the crisis. "If you don't want to hear this, close your ears or leave," he warned as Maduro sipped from a coffee cup and checked his watch in the next chair. "If you give in to the desire to have more and more bolivars with the same number of dollars, your bolivars are going to lose value," Ramos said, referring to the country's plummeting currency.

The sight of an opposition leader lecturing the president on a live television feed all networks were required to carry shocked even ardent supporters of the sharp-tonged new congressional leader. Maduro rarely exposes himself to questions from independent reporters, much less questioning from political opponents. And few broadcast networks carry opposition events.

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longknife · Jan 16, 2016

Maduro's military crazies have already shut down their congress because of the types who were elected to it tried to do what they were elected for.

waltky · May 5, 2016

Maduro's popularity drops as crisis rises...

Poll: Approval of Venezuelan Leader Drops as Crisis Bites
Thursday 5th May, 2016 - Just over one in four Venezuelans approves of President Nicolas Maduro's governance as a crippling economic crisis weighs on the leftist leader, according to a leading pollster.

Venezuelans are suffering rampant shortages of products including bread and antibiotics, salary-destroying inflation, and increasingly frequent power and water cuts as the OPEC country's state-led model flounders. Maduro, whom the opposition is vying to remove from office this year, saw his rating drop to 26.8 percent in March from 33.1 percent in February, according to a Datanalisis poll seen by Reuters. While low compared with his charismatic mentor and predecessor, Hugo Chavez, Maduro's popularity remains above that of neighboring presidents including Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos and Brazil's Dilma Rousseff.

Still, some 68.9 percent of Venezuelans polled said Maduro should quit this year or be removed via a recall referendum before his term ends in 2019, up from 63.6 percent in February. The Democratic Unity coalition has ramped up its push to oust the 53-year-old former bus driver and union leader and this week cleared one of the first hurdles towards holding a recall referendum. Some 57.3 percent of Venezuelans said in March they would vote to remove him from office should a referendum be called, up from 52.1 percent in February, the survey showed.

"Senor Maduro, when are you going to get us out of this crisis?"

The opposition says the only way to avoid an impending economic or humanitarian disaster in Venezuela is to push out Maduro, whom they say is unwilling to correct Venezuela's economic distortions. Maduro has scoffed at plans to remove him and ridiculed his political rivals as divided, coup-mongering elitists. Having narrowly won a 2013 election, Maduro initially benefited from reverence towards his predecessor Chavez and the popularity of social welfare programs. But that has waned as many poor "Chavista" supporters bear the brunt of the economic crisis.

Since Maduro took over, the bolivar has fallen around 98 percent against the dollar on the black market rate. Annual inflation is in triple-digits. Polls in Venezuela are notoriously divergent and controversial, but Datanalisis has become the most closely watched by both sides. The survey of 1,000 people was conducted from March 4 to 14 has a 3.04 percent margin of error.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/...al-of-venezuelan-leader-drops-as-crisis-bites
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waltky · May 20, 2016

Venezuelan protestors tear-gassed, demand Maduros ouster...

Venezuelans demand Maduros ouster
Fri, May 20, 2016 - EASY: Venezuelan Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz said the referendum was a trap and called for the opposition to focus on unseating the president in the 2019 elections

Venezuelan protesters on Wednesday demanded a referendum on ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, defying riot police who fired tear gas and a state of emergency that the opposition has blasted as unconstitutional. However, Maduro warned that if anti-government acts turned violent I will not hesitate to ratchet up the extraordinary measures in force, to fight for the peace and security of this country. The opposition organized the demonstrations in Caracas and two dozen other cities and towns to press for a recall referendum against Maduro this year. More than 1.8 million signatures calling for the vote have been gathered on a petition that was handed to the Venezuelan National Electoral Council two weeks ago.

Police and soldiers using tear gas and pepper spray blocked about 1,000 demonstrators from marching on council headquarters, journalists said. Recall! Recall! Maduro Out! the crowd yelled, holding aloft anti-government placards and Venezuelan flags. Incidents were reported during demonstrations in five Venezuelan states. About 30 people were arrested, the opposition and non-governmental organizations said. The protests were the first since the 60-day state of emergency Maduro imposed this week that gives broad powers to security forces to maintain public order. The order gives broad powers to the government, military and police to ignore constitutional protections and tackle what Maduro has said are threats to domestic and external security, and critical shortages of food and energy.

Anti-government demonstrators try to break through a line of Venezuelan national police in an effort to reach the headquarters of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council in Caracas

The only visible effects so have been the diversion of some scarce food for handout to poor citizens, and greater vigilance by security forces. However, Maduro said he had scope to take the state of emergency further, implying that he could impose greater military control over the population to put down challenges to his authority. The Venezuelan National Assembly, controlled by the opposition, on Tuesday rejected the decree establishing the state of emergency. However, the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which has many judges appointed by Maduros late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, might overrule that, as it has other congressional decisions. If it is maintained regardless, the opposition has urged the public to defy the state of emergency. It has also asked the army to decide whether it backs the constitution or Maduro.

In Wednesdays protest, Venezuelan National Assembly President Henry Ramos Allup urged the government to come to a peaceful resolution over the crisis. We dont want a bloodbath or a coup detat, he said. However, the government is in no mood to reach a compromise. Venezuelan Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz called the referendum push a trap and urged the opposition to instead focus on the next presidential election in December 2019. If you win, Maduro will give up power. Easy. Whats the problem? he said. Maduro claims the adversity he is facing is manipulated by US interference working with Venezuelas fascist right. By way of evidence, he said a US surveillance aircraft twice violated his countrys airspace last week. The US Department of Defense on Wednesday denied the allegation.

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Venezuelan opposition protesters tear gassed, blocked by national guard
May 18, 2016 -- The Venezuelan opposition was quickly greeted with obstruction and tear gas on Wednesday after launching a march in Caracas over a referendum seeking to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

The march was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time in Caracas' Venezuela Plaza and within half an hour there were widespread reports of security officials, mainly the Venezuelan National Guard, using tear gas against demonstrators and obstructing protesters' paths. Several marches were held nationwide aimed to descend on the regional headquarters of Venezuela's National Electoral Council, or CNE. "CNE rectors, high military commanders and government officials: Do not be complicit in human rights violations that Maduro advances to cling to power," opposition leader and National Assembly member Freddy Guevara said in a statement.

The Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, opposition coalition held the protest march to demand the CNE comply with the opposition's efforts to initiate a recall referendum on Maduro. The march culminated when opposition leaders handed over a letter to Luis E. Rondón, head rector of the CNE, which urged for the electoral council to proceed with the second phase of the referendum process. The MUD in late April complied with the electoral council's requirement to gather signatures to proceed with the recall effort. The MUD collected more than 1 million signatures out of the nearly 200,000 that were needed.

After completing the first phase of the petition process, the opposition is waiting for the CNE to provide the necessary documents to move ahead with the final phase. The MUD will need to collect signatures from 20 percent, or about 4 million, of the South American country's voting-eligible population within three days. There were reports of several major subway stations being shut down in Caracas on Wednesday as the march occurred, incidents similar to what occurred last Wednesday in the MUD's first major protest demanding CNE action. "Metro closed access to Caracas. The fear Nicolas Maduro has of the people who want recall and change," Henrique Capriles Radonski, governor of Venezuela's Miranda state and a key opposition leader who almost defeated Maduro in a 2013 election, said in a statement. "When they rob you in Caracas you can't find one officer. Today they are all in the streets over the fear Maduro has that we ask the CNE to validate our signature!"

The opposition is working to hold the recall referendum in which Venezuelans will be asked whether Maduro should be removed from the presidency by the end of the year. Maduro's approval ratings are usually below 20 percent -- at times dipping into single digits -- meaning the likelihood of his removal is high. On Tuesday, Maduro took aim at the opposition's referendum efforts. "The opposition wants a coup d'etat, foreign intervention and economic warfare. Recall is an option, not an obligation," Maduro said. "We are not required to hold any referendum in this country of any kind." Tensions were high as demonstrators were targeted by tear gas in the streets of Caracas, including one incident caught on video.

Venezuelan opposition protesters tear gassed, blocked by national guard - UPI.com
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Venezuela's Maduro calls OAS head a traitor
May 19, 2016 - Venezuela's parliament on Thursday formally solicited for OAS action.

Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, fiercely rejected and condemned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over accusations of being a "traitor." The recent spat between both men began on Tuesday when Maduro told journalists that Almagro "has been a traitor for a long time." "At some point I will tell his story. I know his secrets," Maduro said in reference to his accusation that Almagro works as the head of the OAS to advance the interests of the United States. "The Americans, the CIA, have played a master move using Almagro as their agent."

Almagro didn't take kindly to Maduro's remarks. Using Twitter, the secretary general posted 12 tweets directly calling out the leader on Wednesday. "I'm not a traitor either to my ideas or my principles BUT YOU ARE A TRAITOR to your people," Almagro wrote. "You will NEVER be able to undo so much suffering, intimidation, misery and anguish you've created for your people," Almagro wrote in another.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the head of the Organization of American States is working to advance U.S. interests in his country.

Maduro did not reply directly to Almagro's commentary, but the Venezuelan president's foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, replied. "Mr. Almagro, every time you make a statement you express your hatred against Venezuela and its legitimate authorities. You are part of the imperialist detritus," Rodriguez wrote. "You only repeat the scripted words which your imperialist masters dictate to you," Rodriguez added. "You will never give orders to Venezuela!" Almagro replied to Rodriguez by saying that "A lie, although repeated a thousand times, will never be truth."

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Luis Florido, of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, delivered a solicitation to Almagro urging the secretary general to invoke the OAS' Inter-American Democratic Charter, which would initiate an emergency Permanent Council meeting over fears of a diminishing democracy in Venezuela. Venezuela's consent is not required if the OAS were to invoke the charter. "Our call to the world: Raise your voices for Venezuela! Let us avoid the aggravation of the humanitarian crisis and the continuing deaths of innocent Venezuelans," Florido said in a statement.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...S-head-a-traitor/7051463670358/?spt=sec&or=tn
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waltky · Jun 25, 2016

600,000 of 2 million signatures were fraudulent...

Petition to recall Venezuelan president 'validated,' opposition says
June 25, 2016 -- Venezuelan opposition leaders said they have enough validated signatures on a petition to remove President Nicolas Maduro in a recall referendum.

"The total national validation, in spite of all the obstacles, is 409,313 signatures. The annulment will happen in 2016," Henrique Capriles, the opposition politician, said Friday. The initial petition handed in last month gathered almost 2 million signatures but election officials said 600,000 of those were fraudulent. Residents who signed the petition had until Friday to have their identity cards and fingerprints checked. Only 1 percent of the electorate -- 194,729 voters -- were needed to sign the petition in the first phase.

The process next must be validated by election officials. Then, a second petition must be signed by 4 million people -- 20 percent of the population. If a referendum can't be first schedule until after Jan. 10, he would be replaced by the vice president, Aristobulo Isturiz, a supporter of Maduro. Maduro was elected to a six-year term in April 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez. The opposition said Maduro's socialist policies have led to rampant inflation and shortages of food and basic goods.

The recent slump in oil prices has burdened the country. "The government, the police and the national guard are the first ones stealing the food," Manuel Araque, a farmer in Barlovento, told Al Jazeera. "If this government continues in power, they will ruin us." Maduro, who says he is the victim of an "economic war" led by businesses with the backing of the U.S., alleges the signature process had irregularities and vowed no referendum will take place this year. "If there is one, we will go and win it. If there isn't, political life in this country will go on," he said.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...-opposition-says/9211466869847/?spt=sec&or=tn
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OAS chief blames Venezuela's problems on Maduro regime
June 24, 2016 -- The head of the Organization of American States called for a recall of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to relieve the country of inflation and food shortages.

In a report issued Thursday at the Washington headquarters of the organization comprising 34 Western Hemisphere countries, Secretary General Luis Almargo blamed Maduro's government for Venezuela's economic collapse, and urged support for a recall referendum. "This crisis is reaching a breaking point. These challenges cannot be blamed on external forces. The situation facing Venezuela today is the direct result of the actions of those currently in power," Almargo's report to the OAS Permanent Council said. He then itemized some of Venezuela's problems.

"Venezuela holds some of the largest oil reserves on the planet, with vast fertile land and large mineral resources. What should be one of the wealthiest countries in the region is facing unprecedented levels of poverty, a critical humanitarian crisis and one of the highest violent crime rates in the world. The confrontation between the branches of government has caused the failure of the political system and its collapse, which in turn has worsened economic, social and humanitarian conditions in the country. Inflation has reached 720 percent. The GDP is predicted to drop, according to economic indicators, another 8 percent this year. External debt has reached $130 billion, or the equivalent of an estimated 6-years' worth of oil exports. Venezuela has the 9th highest unemployment rate in the world. 73 percent of households and 76 percent of Venezuelans lived in poverty in 2015. After the 12th increase since the government was elected in 2013, the minimum wage is approximately, according to official statistics, $24 per month; that is less than a dollar per day. The systematic failure of the controlled exchange rate system has caused the currency to lose 99 percent of its value since 2013. International businesses have shut their doors because no one is able to pay. There are unprecedented food and medical shortages across the country."

Maduro, chosen by former President Hugo Chavez to succeed him as leader of the socialist country, typically blames its problems on outside influences, notably alleged U.S. interventions in Latin America, and attempts to overthrow the government. At the Washington meeting, Almargo was accused of attempting to orchestrate a coup of the Venezuelan government. "The abuses and surpassing of authority by the secretary general are my concern," responded Nicaraguan representative Denis Ronaldo Moncada Colindres. "He is trying to overthrow sovereign states represented here. He is an administrative official. He is involving [the OAS] in a coup against Venezuela."

Almargo's report was circulated, the OAS said, to build dialogue to find a solution to the problems of an OAS member, and not as a call to punish Venezuela for actions which could be interpreted as violations of the OAS charter. "Dialogue is important. However, we cannot allow it to be an excuse for inaction. The Venezuelan people cannot afford delays for finding solutions to the problems they face, noted Michael Fitzpatrick, the U.S. representative to the OAS.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...on-Maduro-regime/5181466779187/?spt=sec&or=tn
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waltky · Aug 2, 2016

First step for Maduro recall passes muster...

Venezuelan campaign for Maduro recall passes first hurdle
Tue, 02 Aug 2016 - The National Electoral Council in Venezuela approves the first step in an opposition campaign to recall President Nicola Maduro.

It said the opposition had succeeded in gathering 1% of voter signatures in all 24 of Venezuela's states. The move is the first part of the opposition's push for an early end to President Maduro's term in office. In a further twist, the Supreme Court declared the parliament in contempt for swearing in three opposition delegates.
Deep divisions

The three delegates were elected last year but the Supreme Court had barred them from taking up their seats over alleged irregularities in the 6 December poll. The National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition, swore them in last week arguing that in the months since they were barred, the investigation had stalled and they were innocent until proven guilty. But on Monday the Supreme Court warned that all decisions taken by the assembly would be null and void until the three stood down.

The opposition says the court is stacked with government loyalists intent on preventing the opposition from exerting its power in the National Assembly. Venezuela's political and economic crisis has deeply divided the country. Shortages of basic goods are widespread, as is looting. The inflation rate is one of the highest in the world and there are long queues outside shops.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) said Mr Maduro's opponents had cleared the threshold of obtaining 200,000 valid signatures on a petition demanding that the president face a recall referendum. The council did not set a date for the next stage of the lengthy recall process - when the opposition will need to collect four million signatures in just three days. The opposition accuses Mr Maduro's administration of mismanaging the economy. Mr Maduro was elected in April 2013. His term runs until 2019.

Next steps towards a referendum
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waltky · Aug 24, 2016

Maduro playin' dirty...

Venezuelan public workers to be fired if they support Maduro recall
Aug. 24, 2016 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's administration vowed to fire high-ranking government employees who supported the opposition's presidential recall referendum efforts Wednesday.

Mayor of Caracas Jorge Rodríguez, a leading member of Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and head of a signature-verification commission established by Maduro's government during the opposition's recall efforts, on Monday said high-ranking employees who do not support late former President Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution will be fired if they do not resign by Wednesday. "In the public administration we cannot have as managers people who don't support the revolution," Rodríguez said during a press conference. "They have a period of 48 hours to make sure workers in trusted positions, in leadership roles, find other jobs."

Rodríguez said he would disclose the names of employees who supported the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition coalition's petition efforts to oust Maduro to relevant ministers and public companies. Venezuelan law, which offers wide-ranging protections to most employees, states that employees who hold managerial positions can be fired without reason. Venezuela has up to 3 million public employees and about half are temporary employees whose jobs depend on contract renewals. The opposition is working to hold the recall referendum, in which Venezuelans will be asked whether Maduro should be removed from the presidency, by the end of the year.

Maduro's approval ratings are usually below 20 percent -- at times dipping into single digits -- meaning the likelihood of his removal is high if a recall referendum is held. The opposition coalition will need to collect signatures from 20 percent, or about 4 million, of the voting-eligible population within three days to trigger the referendum. Democratic Unity Roundtable leader Jesus "Chuo" Torrealba in a Venezuelan radio program said Rodríguez's statements amount to "blackmail and extortion." "It's a violation of the constitutional right to express one's political opinions," Torrealba said.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...rt-Maduro-recall/2091472044670/?spt=sec&or=tn
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Venezuela's Maduro seeks to cut funds to opposition-controlled parliament
Aug. 3, 2016 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro asked the Comptroller General and the Supreme Court to block resources to the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Maduro on Tuesday said he wants to block the National Assembly's access to public funds because it is operating "outside the law." The unicameral parliament became majority-controlled by the Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, opposition coalition after historic elections in December that soundly defeated Maduro's socialist government. On Monday, Venezuela's National Electoral Council, or CNE, confirmed the opposition coalition gathered enough signatures to move to the second phase of a recall process against Maduro. The MUD is working to hold a recall referendum, in which Venezuelans will be asked whether Maduro should be removed from the presidency by the end of the year.

During a televised address on Tuesday, Maduro said he would seek to cut off the parliament from public funds in reference to the swearing in of three opposition lawmakers. In late December, Venezuela's supreme court -- the Supreme Tribunal of Justice -- suspended the three coalition members and one pro-government member who were elected to the National Assembly pending an investigation of allegations of electoral fraud. Venezuelan constitutional experts disagree on the circumstances surrounding the suspension and whether the three should be allowed to serve in the legislature during the election investigation. The high court has been repeatedly criticized as acting as an extension of the socialist regime established under former President Hugo Chavez.

The suspension removes the opposition coalition's two-thirds super-majority, which would enable it to remove judges from the supreme court, particularly after the outgoing United Socialist Party of Venezuela -- led by Maduro -- was accused of stacking the court before the change of power. The opposition has now twice sworn in the suspended members, an act Venezuelan Attorney General Reinaldo Muñoz deemed "absolutely unconstitutional and unlawful."

Maduro suggested the National Assembly does not exist. "For the National Assembly being outside the law, as head of the National Treasury, I cannot deposit resources to a nonexistent National Assembly," Maduro said. "I cannot use public resources in institutions that flout and call for the contempt of laws." The Venezuelan president said workers employed within the parliament would receive salaries directly if parliament is cut off financially.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...ition-controlled-parliament/1791470243510/?st
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Maduro's government seeks to ban Venezuelan opposition over 'gigantic' fraud
July 27, 2016 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's administration on Tuesday petitioned the national election commission to ban the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition coalition, saying it committed fraud in its recall referendum efforts.

Jorge Rodríguez, a member of Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, mayor of Caracas and head of a signature-verification commission established by Maduro's government during the opposition's presidential recall efforts, filed a petition with the National Electoral Council, asking the council to cancel the political registration of the opposition coalition, known as the MUD. Earlier this year, the opposition submitted more than 1.8 million signatures to the council, known as the CNE as part of a petition process seeking to activate a recall referendum. Just 200,000 signatures were needed.

After completing the first phase of the petition process, the opposition is waiting for the CNE to provide the necessary documents to move ahead with the final phase. The MUD will need to collect signatures from 20 percent, or about 4 million, of Venezuela's voting-eligible population within three days. Reaching that final phase has proved difficult. The opposition is working to hold the recall referendum, in which Venezuelans will be asked whether Maduro should be removed from the presidency, by the end of the year. The MUD have accused the CNE of attempting to hinder the opposition's efforts to recall Maduro. The opposition has held massive nationwide protests over the cause.

The petition to ban the MUD is based on accusations of fraud related to more than 300,000 petition signatures, Rodríguez said. "It is public, it is known, it is communicated and it is fully demonstrated that the ... MUD incurred the most gigantic fraud which has been known in the political and electoral history of Venezuela," Rodriguez said Tuesday outside of the CNE's headquarters, adding that "307,747 signatures did not meet one or more technical criteria; and 53,658 of those are very serious irregularities; for example 10,995 people dead, 9,333 identification numbers that are nonexistent, 1,335 politically disqualified for being convicted of felonies and 3,003 under the age of 18."

Maduro's approval ratings are usually below 20 percent -- at times dipping into single digits -- meaning the likelihood of his removal is high if a recall referendum is held. "The CNE must, is obliged, at the request of the Ministry of Interior or a political party, to attend immediately and expeditiously the cancellation of the registration of the MUD," Rodríguez added.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...osition-over-gigantic-fraud/9981469622390/?st
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waltky · Aug 31, 2016

Maduro gonna crackdown on protestors...

Venezuela's Maduro vows crackdown on protest violence
August 30, 2016 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed Tuesday to jail opposition leaders if they incite violence at upcoming protests to pressure authorities to allow a referendum on removing him from power.

Maduro, whose opponents blame him for a devastating economic crisis, accused opposition leaders of plotting a "terrorist coup" against him ahead of Thursday's nationwide protests. "We must defeat the coup d'etat without impunity. Whoever gets involved in a coup plot, or calls for violence, is going to jail, sir. Shriek, weep or scream, but you're going to jail," he told supporters at a rally in Caracas billed as an early counter-demonstration.

Members of the Venezuelan opposition shout slogans during a march to demand electoral power to activate the recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas

Maduro accused the United States of plotting against leftist governments in Latin America. "The threat is coming directly from American imperialism," he said. One opposition figure, Yon Goicoechea, was arrested on charges of possessing explosives he allegedly planned to detonate at the upcoming protests. Opposition lawmaker Tomas Guanipa said the authorities had planted evidence against Goicoechea. "Even if you throw us all in jail, you won't stop the people from taking to the streets to fight for democratic, electoral and peaceful change," he said.

Venezuelan National Assembly lawmakers vote during a session in Caracas, Venezuela. When Venezuela's opposition lawmakers took over congress in January, they vowed it was the beginning of the end for President Nicolas Maduro. But Maduro has since managed to almost completely sideline the legislature, and now the ruling socialist party is talking about shutting it down altogether.

The protests are the first since electoral authorities indicated it was too late to organize a recall vote this year -- infuriating the opposition, which wants a referendum by January in order to trigger new elections. With Venezuela hit by shortages of food, medicine and basic goods, the opposition coalition behind the referendum, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), insists that getting rid of Maduro's socialist government is the only way out of the crisis.

People stand in line as they gather at a validation center during Venezuelas National Electoral Council (CNE) second phase of verifying signatures for a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas

Venezuela's Catholic Church called on the government to allow Thursday's protests to go ahead freely. The journalists' union meanwhile said conditions are difficult for the press ahead of the demos. Masked attackers threw Molotov cocktails and flaming excrement at the offices of opposition-leaning newspaper El Nacional on Tuesday, and authorities denied entry on Monday to a team of reporters from Al Jazeera TV.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelas-maduro-vows-crackdown-protest-violence-215450479.html
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waltky · Sep 1, 2016

Demonstration in the streets of Caracas against Maduro...

Venezuelan oppositions vows to keep up pressure on Maduro
Sep 1,`16) -- Venezuela's opposition is vowing to keep up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro after flooding the streets of Caracas with demonstrators Thursday in its biggest show of force in years.

Protesters filled dozens of city blocks in what was dubbed the "taking of Caracas" to pressure electoral authorities to allow a recall referendum against Maduro this year. Protesters, dressed mostly in white and carrying Venezuelan flags, chanted, "It's going to fall, it's going to fall, the government is going to fall." The buildup to the protest was tense. Maduro's government jailed several prominent activists, deployed security forces across the city and warned of bloodshed. A small group of protesters, some of them wearing masks and throwing rocks, squared off with riot police as the rally was ending. Police used tear gas to break up the crowd and arrested a few youth. Maduro told a much smaller rally of state workers and hard-core supporters that opponents are plotting a coup such as the one that briefly toppled his late predecessor Hugo Chavez in 2002.

Demonstrators take part in the "taking of Caracas" march in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept 1, 2016. Venezuela's opposition is vowing to keep up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro after flooding the streets of Caracas with demonstrators Thursday in its biggest show of force in years. Protesters filled dozens of city blocks in what was dubbed the "taking of Caracas" to pressure electoral authorities to allow a recall referendum against Maduro this year.

He said authorities had arrested people possessing military fatigues and C4 explosives, and who had plans to fire upon the crowds dressed as national guard members. "Today we've defeated a coup attempt that sought to fill Venezuela and Caracas with violence and death," Maduro told his supporters without providing details about the accusations. "We're still looking for several criminals that paid to massacre the people." Caracas political analyst Dimitris Pantoulas said the "warlike" language may have actually energized opponents who otherwise might be on vacation or, at a time of economic crisis, standing in long lines for food. "The government made a big mistake by throwing fuel onto the flames," said Pantoulas. As the rally was wrapping up, the head of the opposition Democratic Unity alliance outlined the next steps in its campaign to force Maduro from office. "Today is the beginning of the definitive stage of our struggle," Jesus Torrealba told supporters.

He called for a nationwide demonstration of pot-banging Thursday night to protest growing hunger. There are also plans for two more street protests, including one Sept. 14 coinciding with the arrival of heads of state from around the world for a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement taking place on the Caribbean island of Margarita. "This isn't the country I grew up in and it's not the one I want my children to live in," said Olga Delgado, a school administrator, who arrived to the protest on crutches following hip-replacement surgery. She was wearing a hat reading "I am squalid," appropriating for herself one of Chavez's favorite taunts for his opponents. Maduro tried to mock his opponents' show of force, saying they had failed to amass more than 30,000 supporters and joking that he and First Lady Cilia Flores would go the movies at a shopping mall near where they were gathering.

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waltky · Sep 4, 2016

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey oughta tar an' feather him - an' run him outta town onna rail...

Irked by food crisis, protestors chase Venezuelan president at local political event
Sunday 4th September, 2016 - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was caught amid angry protestors at Margarita Island on Saturday.

Banging on pots and yelling at the leader, the protesters chased the president at a political event, local media reported. Many Venezuelans blame the countrys unpopular leader for the nations food crisis. Grainy and unclear mobile phone videos emerged on social media where the president is seen running through the protests, dodging irked protesters. Right now, there are more than 30 people detained as a result of the incident in Villa Rosa, Alfredo Romero of Penal Forum right groups said on Twitter.

Reports pointed out that all except Braulio Jatar - a local pro-opposition lawyer - were detained. Jatar was released the following afternoon. Maduro had travelled to the countrys northern coast to inaugurate a number of new public housing units. Although the presidents office has remained silent about the incident, Henrique Capriles, an opposition governor, said, The people of Vila Rosa in Margarita have no fear. Through banging pots, Maduro was run out of town.

Information Minister Luis Marcano, on the other hand, published a video on Twitter showing the president being cheered in Margarita Island. He wrote, What you didnt see in the videos manipulated by the right wing. The protest came after a march in Caracas on Thursday where more than one million people took to the streets to demand his removal from the office. The anti-government protestors are calling for a referendum to recall the president amid the economic crisis faced by the country that has led to a severe food shortage in Venezuela.

However, the government said that it prevented a coup plot following the demonstration. Addressing reporters, Venezuelas Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, said, The national government's action prevented a massacre. Snipers looked to assassinate citizens to sell to the world a not so nice image of our country. And we have been perpetually denouncing this. The top and elite of the Venezuelan opposition is spraying this to the world, discrediting Venezuela.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/...venezuelan-president-at-local-political-event
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waltky · Sep 18, 2016

Ya might be in trouble - if ya need Mugabe to stand by ya...

Venezuela summit draws few leaders in blow to Maduro
Sep 17 2016 - Venezuela Only a handful of leaders have traveled to a meeting of a large Cold War-era bloc in Venezuela this week, in an embarrassment for the crisis-hit socialist government.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has touted the 17th meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement as one that would "be remembered for centuries," as the unpopular leftist seeks to bolster his international legitimacy. Yet the turnout from the 120-nation Cold War-era bloc has paled compared to past meetings, including the previous summit in Iran in 2012, attended by some 35 heads of state. Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Iran's Hassan Rouhani and Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas, as well as regional allies from Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia are among the few heads of states who have landed on the Caribbean island of Margarita.

The half-century old movement formed by nations wanting to avoid aligning with the United States or Soviet Union has dwindled in relevance over the years. But it appears that heads of states' attendance at the summit in recession-stricken Venezuela is particularly low, possibly even in single digits, although the government did not respond to a request for a list of attendees. Venezuela's opposition, vying to remove Maduro in a recall referendum, has jumped on low attendance as a sign of his isolation. "Millions of dollars of Venezuelans' money spent for the government's ego," said opposition leader Henrique Capriles. "Many of the countries didn't come to the show!"

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (C) walks next to Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez (R) as he arrives to the 17th Non-Aligned Summit in Porlamar, Venezuela

In one glaring absence, co-founder and key member India did not send Prime Minister Narendra Modi, only the second time the country's head of state has missed a summit since its 1961 founding. Venezuela is undergoing a major economic crisis that has sparked worsening food shortages and triple-digit inflation. Margarita was once known as the 'Pearl of the Caribbean,' a tourist hub that drew visitors from around the world, but hotel occupancy is under half what it was last year and some islanders recently humiliated Maduro by chasing him in a poor neighborhood, banging pots and pans.

The delegates who did come complained privately of a lack of organization, delays and shabby hotels, despite Venezuela's efforts to make Margarita shine by repainting roads, stocking supermarket shelves and boosting security on the crime-ridden island. Venezuela unveiled a statue of Chavez near the summit on Friday, took over the group's presidency on Saturday, and, in a series of speeches, leaders from Mugabe to Cuba's Raul Castro lambasted imperialism and pledged their support to Maduro. And the summit's final document was set to express solidarity with Maduro, according to a draft seen by Reuters. "The Venezuelan people are full of emotion and pride," Maduro said in a speech on Saturday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-nonaligned-idUSKCN11N0FZ
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Zimbabwe police on alert for election reform protesters
Sun, Sep 18, 2016 - Riot police were expected to be out in force in Zimbabwe yesterday after protesters planned fresh demonstrations calling for electoral reform and the resignation of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Police this week issued an order barring protests in the capital Harare, but campaigners on Friday vowed to challenge the ban through the courts, which overturned a similar order earlier this month. A coalition of opposition parties under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda is demanding reform ahead of the 2018 election, when Mugabe, now aged 92, plans to stand again. Mugabe has vowed a crackdown on dissent and blasted judges for “reckless” rulings allowing previous demonstrations.

Promise Mkwananzi, spokesman for the protest group Tajamuka, said they would march yesterday despite the police order. “The constitution and the high court allow for peaceful demonstrations,” he said. “The police are promoting lawlessness in the country by banning peaceful demonstrations.”

Two weeks ago, police detained scores of people including activists and bystanders following violent protests in the capital. “Tensions have been visibly mounting and the momentum for more protest is growing,” the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies said in a report this week. “The state has a limited repertoire of options to respond with, so far falling back on its traditional modes of repressive policing.”

Mugabe has vowed to end the wave of recent protests, last weekend warning marchers that they were “playing a dangerous game.” Unemployment is about 90 percent in Zimbabwe, which has been gripped by a cash shortage worsened by a severe regional drought.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/09/18/2003655392
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waltky · Oct 25, 2016

Granny says, "Dat's right - tar n' feather him, an' run him outta town onna rail...

Venezuela's congress opens political trial against Maduro
Oct 25,`16 -- Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress has opened a political trial against President Nicolas Maduro for breaking the constitutional order, deepening a standoff triggered by the authorities' suspension of a recall referendum against the embattled socialist leader.

The move, in a special legislative session Tuesday, had been expected ever since opposition leaders declared themselves in open rebellion and called for mass street demonstrations to force Maduro from office. But it's unlikely to have any legal effect as Maduro still controls other branches of government, including the Supreme Court, which has already declared the National Assembly illegitimate.

In Tuesday's vote, in which the opposition argued Maduro had stopped doing his job and effectively abandoned the presidency, several lawmakers also questioned whether he was a dual Colombian national and therefore constitutionally ineligible to hold Venezuela's highest office. It's an old, unproven claim widely seen as a stretch but one that analysts say is a natural reaction to the government's own trampling of the constitution in scrapping the recall that offered the best hope of peacefully resolving Venezuela's political and economic crisis. "If Maduro has dual nationality, he has no constitutional right to govern Venezuela," said Juan Miguel Matheus, an opposition lawmaker. "He'll go down as one of the biggest liars in history and the constitutional mechanisms to remove him from power and call new elections should be activated."

Unlike other countries in Latin America such as Brazil, where Dilma Rousseff was removed from the presidency in August, Venezuela's National Assembly can't impeach the president. That decision lies squarely with the government-stacked Supreme Court, which has never voted against Maduro and has invalidated all legislation emerging from National Assembly until it remove three lawmakers linked to vote-buying claims. Maduro, speaking at a rally Tuesday, accused opposition lawmakers of behaving as if in a "circus" and trying to carry out a "parliamentary coup." "Congress is useless for our people's interests," he told thousands of mostly state workers outside the presidential palace. "It has a single goal: to damage Venezuela."

He also lashed out at President Barack Obama. "Obama is going and before he leaves he wants to cause Venezuela damage," he said. "This is Obama swiping his tail before he leaves." Even as tempers flared, with Maduro's opponents gearing up for a mass demonstration Wednesday, promoters are calling the "Taking of Venezuela," the government and opposition have agreed to embark on an attempt at dialogue to defuse the crisis. The talks, being sponsored by the Vatican and other South American governments, are set to begin Oct. 30 in the Caribbean island of Margarita.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-10-25-16-26-24
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waltky · Nov 5, 2016

Call it Venezuelas own birther movement...

Venezuelan Opposition Tries 'Birther' Tack Against President Nicolás Maduro
Nov. 5, 2016 - Foes cite evidence disqualifying leader as Colombian; backers say his salsa skills prove he is all Venezuelan

Desperate to end 18 years of Socialist rule, Venezuelas opposition movement is trying to undermine embattled President Nicolás Maduro by claiming he has Colombian citizenship. The opposition has tried everything to wrest power, from a coup attempt in 2002 to its effort this year to stage a recall referendum on Mr. Maduro. Some lawmakers in the opposition-controlled Congress are playing one last card: trying to prove that Mr. Maduro was either born in Colombia or never renounced the Colombian nationality that by law is automatically granted to him because his mother, Teresa de Jesús Moros, was born there, in the border city of Cúcuta. Venezuelans are clamoring for the president to show us his birth certificate, said Dennis Fernández, an opposition congresswoman who since February has led a legislative commission investigating Mr. Maduros origins. Venezuelas constitution says only native-born citizens with no other nationalities can be head of state.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro dancing the salsa, an ability his supporters cite as evidence of his being a bona fide Venezuelan

The Supreme Court, whose members are closely allied with the president, recently ruled that Mr. Maduro was born here and doesnt hold another nationality, citing incontrovertible documents that werent specified or provided. A lack of clarity has fueled the oppositions drive, since Mr. Maduro has never made a birth certificate public. The president says he was born in a working-class neighborhood of Caracas, but he and his allies have publicly named at least three different districts of the capital as birthplaces. The presidents associates point to his allegedly innate Venezuela-ness as proof. He dances salsa like no other and he plays the drums, Elías Jaua, a top ruling party official, told Spanish television in 2013.

On state television, Mr. Maduro busts salsa moves his backers suggest no Colombian could pull off. And this week, he launched a new radio program called The Salsa Hour, which he will occasionally host. Were all the descendants of a process of fusion of rhythm and culture, Mr. Maduro said. Left out of the discussion is that Colombians, too, dance salsa and play drums. Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council and a staunch defender of Mr. Maduro, calls speculation on his origins a cybernetic fantasy of social networks. But in April, she noted that Mr. Maduro never presented his birth certificate when he ran for office because the election authorities only require a national ID card. Mr. Maduros office didnt respond to calls seeking comment. But he has joked about the birther movement in the past, recently saying, If I had been born in Cúcuta or in Bogotá Id be a happy person because thats the land of Bolívar, referring to the founding father of both Venezuela and Colombia.

Mr. Maduro, left, greeting supporters at a pro-government rally in Caracas late last month.

For the opposition, though, it is no laughing matter. Ms. Fernández, the opposition lawmaker, has sent investigative teams to Colombia, where they turned up documents showing that Mr. Maduros mother was born in Cúcuta and baptized at San Antonio de Padua church. In Cúcuta, some older residents say they remember a young Mr. Maduro spending holidays with his aunt, Ema Moros. Her old green-painted house now sits abandoned with rusted locks. Walter Cardona, 56, still remembers a young Mr. Maduro joining in pickup games of soccer. Hed go on Saturdays to the pitch, he said. Hed talk when he wanted to play, but nothing more.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezue...k-against-president-nicolas-maduro-1478343642
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waltky · Nov 30, 2016

Nicolas Maduro blamed by opposition for record Venezuelan currency devaluation...

Venezuelan opposition blames Nicolas Maduro for record currency devaluation
Nov. 29, 2016 -- Leaders of the Venezuelan opposition have blamed President Nicolas Maduro's regime of causing the bolivar to devalue to unprecedented levels against the U.S. dollar.

According to data provided by the currency tracking website DolarToday, the Venezuelan bolivar fell to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar in the black market. DolarToday data provided early Tuesday shows 3,684.51 Venezuelan bolivars are worth $1 on the black market. The bolivar has depreciated about 60 percent in November -- an unprecedented amount seen by the crisis-stricken South American country.

DolarToday is run by Gustavo Diaz, a 60-year-old Home Depot employee based in Alabama. He polls black market currency dealers in Caracas to arrive at his black-market rate. He also polls currency dealers in Colombia's Cucuta border city, where on Tuesday the bolivar is trading against the Colombian peso at a rate equivalent to 3,435.29 to the U.S. dollar. enezuela is facing an economic crisis in which basic goods such as food, medicine and toiletries are in short supply or unavailable. Goods are also unaffordable due to record-high inflation.

The Venezuelan opposition has long-blamed the regime of President Nicolas Maduro of exacerbating Venezuela's problems through corruption and inefficiency. "Inflation galloping, the bolivar melts, unrest worsens and the government rectifies nothing," Henry Ramos Allup, president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly legislature, said in a statement on Tuesday. "The currency exchange disaster in the country is the sole responsibility of the narco and corrupt government of Maduro! All else are pure excuses!" Henrique Capriles Radonski, governor of Venezuela's Miranda state and a key opposition leader, said in a statement on Monday.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...ency-devaluation/6761480428249/?spt=sec&or=tn
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waltky · Sep 29, 2017

Maduro runnin' low on gas...

Declining Oil Output Increases Economic Pressure on Maduro Regime
September 27, 2017 – The Venezuelan government, dependent upon cash-for-oil loans from China and Russia, is facing a decline in domestic oil production and a bleak outlook for the future of its state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

The situation is so dire that Venezuela is importing light crude oil from the U.S. because Venezuela’s refineries can’t process the country’s own heavier crude, according to Miriam Grunstein, chief energy counsel at Brilliant Energy Consulting and a nonresident scholar at the Baker Institute Mexico Center. The state oil company’s future, she told CNSNews.com, looks “very bad.” Its revenues are “not sufficient to prop up any government” in Venezuela, including the regime of President Nicholas Maduro. “The national oil company has no liquidity and service companies haven’t been paid. They are importing oil from the U.S. which is absolutely scandalous.”

The country’s oil production has dropped 8.5 percent from October of 2016 to July of this year, according to the economic indicators tracking website Trading Economics. Venezuelan oil exports to the U.S. are also on the decline. Venezuela is the third largest supplier of oil to the U.S. (eight percent) after Canada (38 percent) and Saudi Arabia (11 percent), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. imported 291.4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil in 2016, down from 351.2 million barrels in 2012 and 496.6 million barrels in 2007. Russia’s state-owned oil company Rosneft is providing a “critical lifeline” to the Maduro regime with “outstanding loans of $6 billion” in exchange for pre-payments on oil, according to Harold Trinkunas, senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

Testifying at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing earlier this month, Trinkunas said the Maduro regime was forced to hold a “fire sale” of state-owned oil assets this year to “guarantee a $1.5 billion loan from Rosneft,” needed to pay government debts. Another key backer of the Maduro regime, China, is having its own problems with Venezuela’s declining oil output. “Venezuela has been one of the largest recipients of Chinese policy bank loans, up to $60 billion since 2007 in exchange for guaranteed deliveries of approximately 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day,” Trinkunas told the panel. China, however, has been forced to agree to a moratorium on Venezuela’s debt repayments through next January as a result of Venezuela’s economic crisis and slipping oil production. Trinkunas blamed “corruption, poor maintenance, under-investment,” as well as “incompetent leadership” at PDVSA for the decline in the country’s oil output.

Another key backer of the Maduro regime, Cuba, is feeling the pinch, too, Trinkunas told the hearing. “The Cuba-Venezuela economic relationship has diminished as the world price of oil has dropped. Venezuela is now less able to continue subsidizing Cuba’s imports due to its declining oil production.” Meanwhile Iran, a strong ally of Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez, has reduced its involvement with Venezuela’s government. Cooperation between the two nations has declined as they find themselves in competition on world oil markets, Trinkunas said. He said Iran has resisted pleas by the Maduro regime to lower its oil output to tighten world oil supplies and increase prices. According to R. Evan Ellis, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Maduro regime’s fate is now tied to China more than to any other foreign ally. The “long-term viability of the Venezuelan regime,” Ellis said in testimony before the subcommittee, depends upon “the work performed by Chinese companies in sectors such as petroleum, construction, and energy.”

Without China’s support, Venezuela would be unable to continue to pump oil from its oilfields. And Venezuela’s national oil company is three months behind on oil deliveries to both China and Russia. The Maduro regime is also making it difficult for Chinese companies operating in Venezuela to submit their invoices to China’s banks in order to get paid, Ellis testified. He also warned the committee that Venezuela has been “exporting military weapons to black markets throughout the world.” Since 2008, he said, Russia has sold the Venezuelan government between 2,000 and 5,000 portable anti-aircraft missiles. Those missiles “could present a significant threat to civil aviation if they fell into the hands of terrorists,” Ellis said.

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/articl...put-increases-economic-pressure-maduro-regime
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waltky · Mar 22, 2018

Now who's crazy?...

Venezuela’s Maduro, Clinging to Power, Uses Hunger as an Election Weapon
March 22, 2018 — The country is an economic basket case, but the Socialist rulers keep winning votes by selectively controlling the food supply

Sara Meza is just the kind of voter Venezuela’s opposition could once count on at the ballot box. A 32-year-old teacher, she’s fed up with President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Her salary has fallen to the equivalent of $2 a month with Venezuela’s currency collapse. She struggles to feed her 10-year-old son and is unable to treat the small tumor on her breast because the health-care system is in shambles. Still, Ms. Meza voted for the ruling Socialist Party in recent mayoral elections, fearing that otherwise she would have lost her state job and benefits—especially the monthly bags of rice, corn flour and other subsidized food she says keeps her family alive. She also plans to vote for Mr. Maduro in the May 20 presidential election. “If I didn’t vote, there would be trouble, I was told,” she said in this arid town near the Colombian border. “They are playing with people’s hunger.”

Any government would struggle to win elections while presiding over widespread food shortages, inflation expected to reach 13,000% this year, and an economy falling apart so fast that it will soon be half the size it was five years ago. But the Maduro administration, which has just a 22% approval rating, has developed a broad strategy to prevail through dirty tricks, fear tactics and, crucially, using the lure of food to get the country’s poorest voters to support his administration, pollsters and elections experts in Venezuela say. Last year, the ruling party won three elections for local, state and national bodies.

Food is an enormously powerful weapon in a country where babies die of malnutrition, store shelves are often bare and three-quarters of the population has lost an average of 19 pounds. The grants to millions of poverty-stricken voters might very well ensure his leftist movement runs this country for many years to come. “It’s criminal,” said Maritza Landaeta, head of the Bengoa Foundation, a group that studies nutrition and poverty in Venezuela and has been a strong critic of the government. “The same people that asphyxiated the food industry and generated the shortages are now using food as a political tool.” Interviews with voters across Venezuela, from opposition strongholds in Caracas to remote towns that have long been bastions of government support, found that even poor communities discouraged by the rapidly worsening situation were willing to back Mr. Maduro. Many of his critics, meanwhile, say all hope is lost. “I won’t vote again,” said Luis Alberto Guerra, 83, a retired lawyer and opposition supporter who said he was threatened by pro-government activists in a Caracas slum where his voting center had moved last year. “What am I doing voting if the government is always doing these tricks? They will never accept defeat.”

The leading opposition political parties have said they’ll abstain from the May vote, after talks with the government to organize fair elections broke down on Feb. 9. One opposition candidate, Henri Falcón, has defied the boycott and is looking to unseat the incumbent with a proposal to end hyperinflation by dollarizing the economy and promising amnesty for government loyalists. Adversaries of Mr. Falcón and the government say taking part only validates a manipulated electoral system in which the president effectively picks his opponents, as Latin American dictatorships of the past did. “I don’t want to be part of that so-called official opposition,” said Henrique Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate who the government has barred from holding office. “This country stopped being a democracy a while ago. I never thought Maduro would take things this far.”

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DennisTate · Mar 27, 2019

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/27/politics/donald-trump-russian-planes-venezuela/index.html

Trump says 'Russia has to get out' of Venezuela

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Nicolas Maduro: Marco Rubio 'Craziest of the Crazies'

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Nicolas Maduro: Marco Rubio 'Craziest of the Crazies'

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