Sanders and Harris put pressure on Venezuela, call for restraint from Maduro

The two leading candidates for the Democratic presidency weighed Saturday on the worsening unrest in Venezuela. Both Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) And Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Called on President Nicolás Maduro to refrain from any violence against his own citizens.

Sanders said Venezuela was going through a "serious humanitarian crisis", appearing to take a tougher stance against Maduro after previously criticizing the Florida Democrats for refusing to qualify the strongman of South America for dictator.

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"The people of Venezuela are going through a serious humanitarian crisis," Sanders wrote on Twitter. "The Maduro government must give priority to the needs of its people, allow humanitarian aid in the country and refrain from any violence against protesters."

"The United States must immediately condemn Maduro's violence against his own people. There is no excuse for that, "Harris wrote on Twitter. "The army and the Venezuelan security forces must show restraint. Venezuelans deserve free and fair elections and a peaceful transition of power. "

In another post, Harris tweeted: "What's happening in Venezuela is a crisis. People who have fled the dictatorial regime of Maduro deserve to be protected. "

Speaking during an election campaign in Iowa on Saturday, Ms Harris said she "did not tolerate military action at this stage" of US forces in Venezuela, but warned that Maduro's efforts to maintain power were to be taken "very seriously," according to the Associated agency. Press.

Venezuela is plunged into a political crisis since opposition leader Juan Guaidó, a 35-year-old parliamentarian, declared himself acting president last month, with the support of the administration. Trump and governments of several member countries of the European Union.

Local health officials confirmed that two people had been killed Saturday during a series of violent clashes with soldiers lined up in Maduro in Santa Elena de Uairen, a town near the Brazilian border, according to the report. Associated Press agency.

At the same time, opponents of Maduro fought with security forces on a bridge separating Venezuela and Colombia, while they sought to recover food and emergency drugs in trucks on fire filled with cartons of humanitarian aid provided by the United States, also reported the AP. Some 300 people were injured during skirmishes across the country.

President Donald Trump held a rally Monday in Miami to denounce Maduro and socialism, attempting to seduce the coveted bloc of Venezuelan Venezuelan voters who fled to Florida in the context of economic turmoil in their home country. .

"God bless the people of Venezuela!" Trump Saturday tweeted, later posting a compilation video of his rally in Miami with the caption: "The people of Venezuela are on the threshold of history, ready to reclaim their country – and its future …."

Harris promised on Saturday that if she were elected president she would "immediately extend GST status to Venezuelans". GST refers to temporary protection status, a designation that allows about 300,000 immigrants to stay temporarily in the United States because they can not return home. country following a natural disaster or other dangerous circumstances.

"It's the right thing to do," Harris wrote online. "America must show moral leadership in this hemisphere."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, and former Vice President Joe Biden, said that they considered Maduro a dictator and had recognized Guaidó as the legitimate leader. Senator Elizabeth Warren also believed that Maduro was a dictator.