Guaidó says Maduro removal will be advantageous for Russia and China BUT they disagree

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaidó, a self-proclaimed interim president, told Reuters that the change of government will be advantageous to major trading partners – Moscow and Beijing.

According to Guaidó, President Nicolás Maduro does not protect the interests of Venezuela or foreign investment, and thus, a bad partner. In addition, the president of the Venezuelan Parliament has noted that he has tried to contact Russia and China.

“What most suits Russia and China is the country’s stability and a change of government,” he said. “Maduro does not protect Venezuela, he doesn’t protect anyone’s investments, and he is not a good deal for those countries.”

But Russia did not have and does not plan to have any contact and does not recognize the opposition’s presidential status, noting that Nicolás Maduro is the president who was elected by the people and that the president of a country can not be determined by other countries.

China also opposes foreign interference in Venezuela’s affairs. Beijing supports the government of Nicolás Maduro to maintain national sovereignty and stability and recognizes Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela, despite all the pressure he has suffered.

On 31 January, the European Parliament called on EU diplomat Federica Mogherini and the governments of the Member States to join in the recognition of the opposition leader.

On January 23, the head of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president of the country during anti-government protests in the streets of Caracas.

Not only did the US and the European Union support Guaidó, but also a number of countries in Latin America, including Brazil, expressed support for Guaido and the Venezuelan opposition. Alongside Nicolás Maduro are several countries, including Russia and China, but some shock additions including NATO-members Greece and Turkey, and other international allies such as Iran and Syria. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.

Maduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.

In a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.

He referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela’s opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.

“Why don’t they respond when I make this proposal?” Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.

Meanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.

Also Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted “all options” are on the table for dealing with Venezuela’s crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.

Even so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.

Maduro’s re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela’s political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader’s failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.

Ahead of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition’s most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s top court opened a criminal investigation against six opposition lawmakers Tuesday following last week’s failed attempt to spark a military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.

The lawmakers are suspected of “betraying the homeland” and “instigating an insurrection,” among other charges, the pro-government Supreme Court said. Those facing accusations include prominent figures in the Venezuelan opposition such as Henry Ramos Allup and Luis Germán Florido.

The court initially had said seven faced investigation, but later in the day lowered the number to six without explanation.

The action came one week after opposition leader Juan Guaidó urged soldiers to oust Maduro, who has taken steps to reassert his authority in the aftermath of the failed uprising.

Additionally, the government announced that it was taking control of three private airports. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol described it as a necessary measure to “guarantee efficiency” and crack down on illegal activity.

Venezuela’s opposition-controlled congress, meanwhile, met to discuss a proposal for the country’s return to a regional defense agreement that dates from the Cold War — a move that could provide political cover for greater international involvement in the nation’s crisis. The matter was referred to an assembly committee.

Years ago, Venezuela and other left-governed nations pulled out of the U.S.-led defense pact, the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance.

U.S. officials have repeatedly said they are considering military “options” in the Venezuelan crisis, in addition to diplomatic and economic pressure that has been intensifying for months against Maduro.

Military police prevented journalists from entering the National Assembly, and some reporters were harassed by government supporters outside the building.

Venezuela’s state-run internet provider restricted access to YouTube, some Google services and other streaming platforms during the assembly session, according to NetBlocks, an online censorship-monitoring group based in Europe.

The lights in the chamber went out temporarily as a senior assembly member, Edgar Zambrano, was speaking. The cause of the power cut was unclear.

Last week, Venezuela’s top court opened a treason investigation of Zambrano, who had joined Guaidó outside a military base in Caracas during a failed call on the armed forces to overthrow Maduro. The appeal to the military was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.

The United States and dozens of other nations have recognized Guaidó, head of the National Assembly, as Venezuela’s interim president, saying Maduro’s re-election last year was rigged.

Guaidó earlier Tuesday met with top diplomats from some of the more than 50 countries that support his campaign to seize power from Maduro, whose allies include Russia, China and Cuba.

A group of mostly European nations is looking to send a high-level delegation to Caracas in the coming days. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini made the announcement in Costa Rica after a meeting of the countries. The International Contact Group wants to facilitate free presidential elections in Venezuela as soon as possible, a goal that it shares with Guaidó.

Maduro says he is the target of a U.S.-engineered coup plot and has denounced the Guaidó-led assembly, instead recognizing a rival assembly packed with government loyalists that was set up in 2017.

In early April, the government-backed National Constituent Assembly voted to strip Guaidó of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution, and it did the same Tuesday for the opposition lawmakers placed under criminal investigation by the Supreme Court.

Maduro, however, has not moved to detain Guaidó, possibly reflecting wariness over a likely backlash from the United States and its allies.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. </s> MADRID – Spain, Britain, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Denmark officially recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela on Monday, while France said the opposition leader had the right to organize an election in the face of the socialist government’s refusal to call new elections.

“The Government of Spain announces that it officially recognizes Juan Guaidó as president in charge of Venezuela,” Spanish President Pedro Sánchez said in a statement read before the media.

To which followed a tweet from the British Foreign Minister, Jeremy Hunt: “Nicolás Maduro has not called presidential elections within the 8-day limit that we have established (…) So the United Kingdom, together with the European allies, now recognizes @jguaido as interim constitutional president. ”

The coordinated movement of European countries comes after the expiration of eight days that the European Union gave Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to call a new presidential election.

The Venezuelan leader, accused of running the OPEC nation as a dictatorship and ruining his economy, has said Europe’s ruling elite is sycophantic and is following the agenda of US President Donald Trump.

Guaidó, who heads the National Assembly controlled by the opposition, proclaimed himself president last month provoking a division among the world powers.

Trump recognized it immediately and countries of the European Union backed Guaidó, but some are nervous about the precedent that someone feels self-proclaimed.

Russia and China, which have invested billions of dollars in Venezuela, are supporting Maduro. Moscow accused the EU countries of meddling in Venezuela’s affairs.

The Venezuelan government said it would “fully review” its relations with the European governments who had recognised Mr. Guaidó.

A foreign ministry statement said those governments were “officially submitting to the United States administration’s strategy to overthrow the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro”.

On Sunday Mr. Maduro dismissed calls for a new presidential vote, saying he would not accept “ultimatums”. He has denounced Mr. Guaidó’s move as a coup.

As head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Mr. Guaidó says the constitution allows him to assume power temporarily when the president is deemed illegitimate.

Meanwhile, the Lima Group of Latin American countries and Canada called Monday for a peaceful change in government in Venezuela, without military intervention.

Eleven of the group’s 14 members said in a joint statement after meeting in Ottawa that they “reiterate their support for a process of peaceful transition through political and diplomatic means without the use of force.”

They also urged Venezuela’s military to support opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president and “not to impede the entry and transit of humanitarian assistance to Venezuelans.”

Guaido’s “legitimate government of Venezuela” was also welcomed into the Lima Group.

The bulk of the funds are to go to “trusted partners” and neighboring countries to help them support three million refugees that have fled Venezuela, he said.

Mr. Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, has been condemned for alleged human rights abuses and for his handling of the economy.

The annual inflation rate reached 1,300,000% in the 12 months to November 2018, according to a study by the National Assembly.

According to United Nations figures, three million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 when the economic crisis started to bite. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.

Maduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a "victory" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.

In a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.

He referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela's opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.

"Why don't they respond when I make this proposal?" Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.

Meanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.

Also Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela's ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted "all options" are on the table for dealing with Venezuela's crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.

Even so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.

Maduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.

Ahead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.

Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.

Maduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.

In a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.

He referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela’s opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.

“Why don’t they respond when I make this proposal?” Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.

Meanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.

Also Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted “all options” are on the table for dealing with Venezuela’s crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.

Even so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.

Maduro’s re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela’s political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader’s failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.

Ahead of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition’s most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.

Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan security forces detained a key aide to opposition leader Juan Guaidó in a raid on his home early Thursday, an opposition lawmaker said.

Lawyer Roberto Marrero was taken by intelligence agents in the overnight operation in Caracas, said lawmaker Sergio Vergara, whose nearby residence was also searched. Vergara said he was woken up by heavy banging at his door and agents pointed weapons at him.

Vergara and Marrero both accompanied Guaidó on a recent Latin American tour to build international support for his efforts to oust President Nicolás Maduro. Marrero heads the office of Guaidó, who is leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly,

“We don’t know where he is. He should be freed immediately,” Guaido tweeted.

The U.S.-backed opposition leader, who had defied a travel ban to leave the country, returned to Venezuela on March 4. The United States had warned the Venezuelan government against taking action against Guaidó, who has staged frequent demonstrations in an attempt to remove Maduro.

Venezuelan prosecutors say Guaidó is under investigation for alleged links to violence as well as the nation’s worst power outages. Maduro alleges the blackouts were caused by U.S.-directed sabotage, though U.S. officials and the Venezuelan opposition say state mismanagement and corruption caused the infrastructure collapse.

The U.S. and about 50 other countries support Guaidó’s contention that he is the rightful leader of Venezuela and that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate. Maduro, whose key allies are Russia and Cuba, says Guaidó is a collaborator in a U.S. plot to overthrow his government. </s> February 08, 2019 “Information Clearing House” – Donald Trump imagines Juan Guaidó is the rightful president of Venezuela. Mr. Guaidó, a man of impeccable illegitimacy, was by Cohen and Blumenthal as “a product of a decade-long project overseen by Washington’s elite regime change trainers.” Argentinian sociologist Marco Teruggi described Guaidó in the same article as “a character that has been for this circumstance” of regime change. Here, his constitutional credentials to be interim president of Venezuela are deconstructed.

Educated at George Washington University in DC, Guaidó was virtually unknown in his native Venezuela before being thrust on to the world stage in a rapidly unfolding series of events. In a conducted a little more than a week before Guaidó appointed himself president of the country, 81% of Venezuelans had never even heard of the 35-year-old.

To make a short story shorter, US Vice President Pence phoned Guaidó on the evening of January 22rd and presumably asked him how’d he like to be made president of Venezuela. The next day, Guaidó announced that he considered himself president of Venezuela, followed within minutes by US President Trump confirming the self-appointment.

A few weeks before on January 5, Guaidó had been installed as president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, their unicameral legislature. He had been elected to the assembly from a coastal district with 26% of the vote. It was his party’s turn for the presidency of the body, and he was hand-picked for the position. Guaidó, even within his own party, was not in the top leadership.

 Although anointed by Trump and company, Guaidó’s Popular Will Party is not representative of the “Venezuelan opposition,” which is a fractious bunch whose hatred of Maduro is only matched by their abhorrence of each other. Leading opposition candidate Henri Falcón, who ran against Maduro in 2018 on a neoliberal austerity platform, had been vehemently opposed by Popular Will who demanded that he join their US-backed boycott of the election.Guaidó’s party, Popular Will, is a far-right marginal group whose most enthusiastic boosters are John Bolton, Elliott Abrams, and Mike Pompeo. Popular Will had adopted a strategy of regime change by extra-parliamentary means rather than engage in the democratic electoral process and had not participated in recent Venezuelan elections.

The Venezuelan news outlet, Ultimas Noticias, reported that prominent opposition politician Henrique Capriles, who had run against Maduro in 2013, “affirmed during an interview that the majority of opposition parties did not agree with the self-swearing in of Juan Guaidó as interim president of the country.” Claudio Fermin, president of the party Solutions for Venezuela, wrote “we believe in the vote, in dialogue, we believe in coming to an understanding, we believe Venezuelans need to part ways with the extremist sectors that only offer hatred, revenge, lynching.” Key opposition governor of the State of Táchira, Laidy Gómez, has rejected Guaidó’s support of intervention by the US, warning that it “would generate death of Venezuelans.”

The Guaidó/Trump cabal does not reflect the democratic consensus in Venezuela, where polls consistently show super majorities . Popular opinion in Venezuela supports negotiations between the government and the opposition as proposed by Mexico, Uruguay, and the Vatican. The Maduro administration has embraced the negotiations as a peaceful solution to the crisis facing Venezuela.

The US government , in the words of Vice President Pence: “This is no time for dialogue; this is time for action.” This intransigent position is faithfully echoed by Guaidó. So while most Venezuelans want peace, the self-appointed president, backed by the full force of US military power, wrote in a op-ed that it was possible to “end the Maduro regime with a minimum of bloodshed.”

The Guaidó/Trump cabal’s fig leaf for legitimacy is based on the that Article 233 of the gives the National Assembly the power to declare a national president’s “abandonment” of the office. In which case, the president of the National Assembly can serve as an interim national president, until presidential elections are held. The inconvenient truth is that Maduro has shown no inclination to abandon his post, and the constitution says no such thing.

In fact, the grounds for replacing a president are very clearly laid out in the first paragraph of of the Venezuelan constitution and do not include fraudulent or illegitimate election, which is what the cabal has been claiming. In the convoluted logic of the US government and its epigones, if the people elect someone the cabal doesn’t like, the election is by definition fraudulent and the democratically elected winner is ipso facto a dictator.

The function of adjudicating the validity of an election, as in any country, is to be dealt with through court challenges, not by turning to Donald Trump for his approval. And certainly not by anointing an individual from a party that could have run in the 2018 election but decided to boycott.

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), which is the separate supreme court branch of the Venezuelan government has certified Maduro’s reelection, as have independent international observers. Further, no appeal was filed by any of the boycotting parties, while all participating parties – including opposition ones – signed off on the validity of the election after the polls closed.

The far-right opposition has boycotted the high court as well as the electoral process. They contest the legitimacy of the TSJ because some members of the TSJ were appointed by a lame duck National Assembly favorable to Maduro, after a new National Assembly with a majority in opposition had been elected in December 2015 but not yet seated.

Even if President Maduro were somehow deemed to have experienced what is termed a falta absoluta (i.e., some sort of void in the presidency due to death, insanity, absence, etc.), the National Assembly president is only authorized to take over if the falta absoluta occurs before the lawful president “takes possession.” However, Maduro was already “in possession” before the January 10, 2019 presidential inauguration and even before the May 10, 2018 presidential election. Maduro had won the presidency in the 2013 election and ran and won reelection last May.

If the falta absoluta is deemed to have occurred during the first four years of the presidential term, the vice president takes over. Then the constitution decrees that a snap election for the presidency must be held within 30 days. This is what happened when President Hugo Chávez died while in office in 2013. Then Vice President Nicolás Maduro succeeded to the presidency, called for new elections, and was elected by the people of Venezuela.

If it is deemed that the falta absoluta occurred during the last two years of the six-year presidential term, the vice president serves until the end of the term, according to the Venezuelan constitution. And if the time of the alleged falta absoluta is unclear – when Maduro presided over “illegitimate” elections in 2018, as is claimed by the far-right opposition – it is up to the TSJ to decide, not the head of the National Assembly or even such an august authority as US Senator Marco Rubio. Or the craven US press (too numerous to cite), which without bothering to read the plain language of the Bolivarian Constitution, repeatedly refers to Guaidó as the “constitutionally authorized” or “legitimate” president.

As Alfred de Zayas, United Nations independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, tweeted: “Article 233 of the Venezuelan constitution is inapplicable and cannot be twisted into legitimizing Guaidó’s self-proclamation as interim President. A coup is a coup.”

Roger Harris with the and the Campaign to End US/Canada Sanctions Against Venezuela .

This article was originally published by “The Council on Hemispheric Affairs” – </s> CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan security forces detained a key aide to opposition leader Juan Guaidó in a raid on his home early Thursday, an opposition lawmaker said.

Lawyer Roberto Marrero was taken by intelligence agents in the overnight operation in Caracas, said lawmaker Sergio Vergara, whose nearby residence was also searched. Vergara said he was woken up by heavy banging at his door and agents pointed weapons at him.

Vergara and Marrero both accompanied Guaidó on a recent Latin American tour to build international support for his efforts to oust President Nicolás Maduro. Marrero heads the office of Guaidó, who is leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly.

Speaking to reporters in Venezuela Thursday morning, Guaidó described Marrero as a dedicated husband and father, and a tireless attorney working to better the country. He also called Marrero's detention a kidnapping.

"It is ridiculous the tactics they use," Guaidó said. "If this were not tragic, it would be laughable."

He also sent a message to the officers who picked Marrero at his home, saying that Venezuelan military forces should stop protecting President Nicolás Maduro's regime.

"If they don't care that we have no water and they don't care we have no food, they will not protect you," Guaido said. "We want to save the country."

The U.S.-backed opposition leader, who had defied a travel ban to leave the country, returned to Venezuela on March 4. The United States had warned the Venezuelan government against taking action against Guaidó, who has staged frequent demonstrations in an attempt to remove Maduro.

Venezuelan prosecutors say Guaidó is under investigation for alleged links to violence as well as the nation’s worst power outages. Maduro alleges the blackouts were caused by U.S.-directed sabotage, though U.S. officials and the Venezuelan opposition say state mismanagement and corruption caused the infrastructure collapse.

The U.S. and about 50 other countries support Guaidó’s contention that he is the rightful leader of Venezuela and that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate. Maduro, whose key allies are Russia and Cuba, says Guaidó is a collaborator in a U.S. plot to overthrow his government.

Marrero is believed to be at El Helicoide, the same detention facility where other opposition leaders and journalists have been previously held. The facility is run by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, also known as the "SEBIN," which is considered Venezuela's premier intelligence agency.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro proposes early elections for Venezuela's National Assembly. Opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó has stated a rejection of the proposal.