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Some key countries of the European Union have recognized Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as acting president of the country, furthering the global clash around President Nicolas Maduro's power. .
The coordinated action of France, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands took place on the following Monday the expiration of an eight-day ultimatum in Maduro to announce new elections.
Latvia and Lithuania have also lined up behind Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president who enjoys the support of the United States and many countries in South America.
European countries have asked Guaido to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible.
Italy blocked a statement by the EU saying the group recognized Guaido, the The Reuters news agency quoted diplomatic sources.
"We are working for the return of full democracy in Venezuela: human rights, elections and more political prisoners," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised advertisement.
He added that Spain, which has a large Venezuelan community, is also working on a humanitarian aid program for Venezuela, where the shortage of vital items is glaring. Maduro critics attribute the Venezuelan government's mismanagement to lack of food and medical supplies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday during a visit to Japan that Guaido "is the legitimate acting president".
In an article on Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron told Venezuelans "the right to express oneself freely and democratically," and said France recognized Guaido as "acting president charged with implementing a electoral process ".
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said that the presidential election that led Maduro to power last year was neither free nor fair, and told the Swedish television channel SVT that Venezuelans "must now hold new free and fair elections".
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Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Secretary, said the Venezuelans had suffered enough.
"The oppression of Maduro's illegitimate and kleptocratic regime must stop," he said.
Maduro, 56, former trade union leader, bus driver and foreign minister, replaced Hugo Chavez as President in 2013 after his death from cancer. But he presided over an economic collapse and the exodus of three million Venezuelans.
Russia reacted to the European move by accusing the group of interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs.
"Attempts to legitimize the usurped power" are "an interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela," Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, told reporters.
Such interference, he added, could not facilitate the "peaceful, effective and lasting settlement of the Venezuelan crisis".
Russia and China, which have invested billions of dollars in Venezuela's investments and loans, are backing Maduro in the wake of their geopolitical conflict with the United States.
Maduro rejects European demands
Maduro, meanwhile, has shown no signs of fear of pressure and has cracked down on the European Union and the United States, which have imposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil exports.
In a live broadcast on state television, Maduro said he was refusing the ultimatums of any country. He was particularly hard on the Spaniard Sanchez, who would have "blood on his hands" if a coup d'etat was committed against him.
"If one day there is a coup d'etat, there is a gringo military intervention one day, your hands will be stained with blood, Mr. Pedro Sanchez," said Maduro.
President Donald Trump told US media said Sunday that troop deployment in Venezuela was "an option".
Maduro attributes to Washington an "economic war" and state-run claims to control oil. Venezuela has the largest reserves in the world, but production has dropped under the Maduro regime.
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The rise of Juan Guaido, the face of change in Venezuela |
Critics say incompetent policies and corruption have impoverished a once-rich country while dissent was brutally crushed.
Although the high ranks of the army continued to reiterate their support for Maduro, On Saturday, a senior Air Force official disavowed the leader in a video broadcast online. He said that "90% of the armed forces do not support the dictator".
General Francisco Yanez is the first Venezuelan general active to recognize Guaido since he proclaimed himself president on 23 January.
Guaido still has no control over state institutions nor over any function of day-to-day governance.
He sent letters to Russia and China, saying that a change of government would be in the interest of both countries.
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