[ad_1]
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro said he had overcome a daunting challenge of opposition to his government, as these efforts seemed to run out of steam and the US admitted it was "impossible to predict" how long he could stay in power.
In an interview with Euronews, Maduro is touted that his political opponents had "completely failed" in their quest to overthrow him. Opponents "could walk every day of their lives" and get nothing, Maduro said.
The newly emboldened opposition in Venezuela continues to insist that the days of Maduro be counted, with around 50 governments now recognizing its leader, Juan Guaidó, as the country's legitimate president.
Tens of thousands of supporters rallied Tuesday in the streets of Caracas and other big cities to demand the resignation of a politician whom they accuse of having led their rich country in oil to economic ruin.
But three weeks after Guaidó electrified the previously rudderless opposition movement by declaring itself an interim leader, there are signs that his campaign may run out of steam.
The anticipated mbadive defection of military leaders – which opposition leaders say is a prerequisite for Maduro's departure – has not materialized and Maduro's restricted circle has begun to claim that he had weathered the political storm.
"In the end, nothing will come of [this challenge]. We will take it away, "Diosdado Cabello, Maduro's second in command tweeted Wednesday.
Speaking during a congressional hearing, Elliott Abrams, US special envoy to Venezuela, claimed that "Maduro and his band of thieves" were over. He said the international pressure meant "there is a storm in the Maduro regime that will end the situation."
While Abrams said Washington was "optimistic and confident" about Maduro's disappearance, he admitted that it was "impossible to predict" when that could happen. The United States would keep up the pressure "over the coming weeks and months," he added, hinting that a speedy resolution is no longer expected.
Opposition leaders have spent the past few days trying to ease expectations about Maduro's imminent exit.
Juan Andrés Mejía, opposition leader and ally of Guaidó, admitted that this goal "may take some time".
"We want it to end very quickly because we know that every day that pbades, people suffer. But Maduro still has control of the army and that's basically why we have not been able to get things done, "he told the Guardian.
During a night vigil in memory of students killed during the demonstration against Maduro, another opposition leader, Lilian Tintori, urged Venezuelan youth to continue their struggle. "We are on the right track with our interim president, Juan Guaidó," she insisted.
Anna Ferrera, a student at the Universidad Metropolitana de Caracas, said she was convinced that international support would contribute to the success of this year's events where the previous uprisings – of 2014 and 2017 – had failed.
"I have a lot of hope – and it's been a long time since I've said it," said the 22-year-old. "But I'm also very scared. Hope is something that scares. Our hope has been trampled so many times that we are afraid to believe again. "
[ad_2]
Source link
