President Donald Trump told the wife of Venezuela's opposition leader that he's with them "100 percent" and that "Russia needs to get out" of Venezuela.

Trump answered a reporter's question about Russia's actions in Venezuela as he stood next to Fabiana Rosales, the wife of opposition leader Juan Guaidó. Rosales came to Washington to drum up support for her husband, who declared himself Venezuela's interim president in late January. He was serving as the president of Venezuela's Congress, and said the constitution allowed him to form a transitional government because Maduro had been re-elected in a sham vote last year.

The political challenge turned Guaidó into an instant target of the Maduro administration, which accused him of organizing violent protests and quickly put him under a travel ban.

"Today, in Venezuela it's freedom or dictatorship, life or death," she told reporters.

She added that "those who are paying the price of this hate are the children, dying in hospitals." She said people have no food and 80 percent of the population is without power.

On Thursday, Rosales is scheduled to have a private meeting with first lady Melania Trump in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Rosales, who also met with Vice President Mike Pence at the White House, has emerged as a powerful presence on the international scene.

In a recent tour of Latin American countries to solicit support for Venezuela's opposition, Rosales' age (she is 26) and informal dress — often jeans — belie an inner toughness and maturity cultivated with her activist husband during violent street protests in Venezuela's capital.

"Look, I am the wife of President Juan Guaidó and I will accompany him on whatever route he takes and we will overcome whatever obstacles we face as we have done through all our years together," Rosales said during an interview in Perú's capital of Lima. "But I got involved in politics because I want to change my country."

"I don't want my daughter to grow up wanting to leave Venezuela," she said, a reference to the roughly 3 million Venezuelans who have fled their country amid a collapsing economy, hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicines, and now blackouts.

As Guaidó, who is 35, leads efforts to remove Maduro through protests at home and by trying to persuade Venezuela's military to abandon the socialist leader, Rosales is visiting different countries to rally support for her country's beleaguered opposition with highly publicized tours.

This month she traveled to Perú and Chile, where she met with the presidents of both countries, and spoke in universities about Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.

Rosales met her husband at a youth rally for Voluntad Popular, an opposition party she has worked with since her university years. She has become a household name in Venezuela in recent months, standing at Guaidó's side in rallies attended by thousands. Recently, she has also taken on the role of international ambassador for Venezuela's opposition, as Guaidó becomes bogged down in domestic affairs.

Venezuela's first-lady-in-waiting has helped her husband look more presidential, says Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas-based political analyst.

"She is a professional, young, educated woman, and to a certain extent she is conservative," Pantoulas said. "That image corresponds to (Venezuelan) stereotypes of what a presidential couple should look like, especially for those in the middle classes."

In the interview, Rosales say that her "most important role is to be a mother, and I'm also a sister and wife."

Guaidó snuck out of Venezuela for a one-week tour of South America, in which he led a failed effort to move several tons of food and medicine into the country. But upon returning he has focused most of his energy on sustaining his movement, which has lost some of its momentum, as Maduro remains in power and Venezuelans focus on the difficult task of surviving.

In her recent trips abroad, Rosales has met with large crowds of Venezuelan migrants, urging them to keep their faith in Guaidó and telling regional leaders that "a dictator" like Maduro does not fall in a matter of days. She says the Venezuelan opposition is making progress, designating ambassadors around the world, and recovering control of Venezuelan oil assets abroad with the help of the United States.

Rosales' opponents have cast her recent tour as a desperate attempt to keep Guaidó in the international spotlight, as the Venezuelan crisis drags on and the world's attention moves elsewhere.

"She is trying to boost Guaidó's image, as support for his movement in Venezuela deflates," Arevalo Mendez, Maduro's ambassador to Chile, told a local news outlet last week.

The daughter of a journalist and a farmer from the rural state of Mérida, Rosales says she became interested in social issues early as she accompanied her mother to interviews.

She decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and study journalism, but also helped her father transport his crops to Caracas along roads where he was sometimes shaken down by corrupt military guards.

Rosales says she has gone through many of the travails currently faced by Venezuelans, including the harrowing medicine shortages.

Her father died in 2013, after suffering a heart attack. He could have survived, Rosales said, but there was no medicine in his village to stabilize him, and no ambulance to take him to the nearest hospital.

"I spent a lot of time in pain, wondering why this had happened to me," she said. "But now I have taken this as a lesson from life. And I am working for my daughter to inherit a better country."</s>Caracas, Venezuela — The Venezuelan government on Thursday said it has barred opposition leader Juan Guaidó from holding public office for 15 years, though the National Assembly leader responded soon afterward that he would continue his campaign to oust President Nicolás Maduro.

The announcement by state comptroller Elvis Amoroso, a close ally of Maduro, cited alleged irregularities in the financial records of Guaido and reflected a tightening of government pressure on an opposition movement backed by the United States and dozens of other countries.

"We're going to continue in the streets," Guaidó said soon after Amoroso's statements on state television.

The power struggle between Maduro and Guaidó has intensified the sense of crisis in Venezuela, which suffered its worst blackouts earlier this month and then another round of power outages that paralyzed commerce this week.

Juan Guaidó on March 27, 2019, in Caracas, Venezuela. Getty

Both the opposition and the government plan demonstrations on Saturday as they try to project resolve in a debilitating standoff in what was once one of Latin America's wealthiest countries. More than three million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years, escaping dire economic conditions that left many without adequate food or medicine.

Maduro, who is backed by Russia, says he is the target of a U.S.-led coup plot.

Venezuelan authorities this month arrested Guaidó's chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, and accused him of involvement in a "terrorist" scheme to overthrow the government.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó says chief of staff detained

The United States was the first nation to recognize Guaidó as interim president, asserting that Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate. It has stepped up sanctions and other diplomatic measures in the hopes of forcing him to give up power.</s>Venezuela's government said Thursday that it has barred opposition leader Juan Guaidó from public office for 15 years as he intensifies his U.S.-backed effort to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro.

The government's move was announced by state comptroller Elvis Amoroso, who cited "inconsistencies in [Guaidó's] personal financial disclosures and a spending record that did not match his level of income," according to Reuters. The 15-year punishment is the maximum permitted by law.

Guaidó was quick to denounce the government's attempt to ban him from office.

"We're going to continue in the streets," Guaidó said on state television after Amoroso's announcement.

As CNBC reported Wednesday, Guaidó is gearing up for "a mass mobilization—called 'Operation Freedom'—in a bid to force Maduro to step down."

Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January, and the United States quickly became the first country to recognize him. Major European nations—including France, Germany, and the U.K.—shortly followed the U.S. in recognizing Guaidó.

As Common Dreams reported in January, Vice President Mike Pence called Guaidó the night before the announcement and promised that the Trump administration would back him if he attempted to seize power.

National security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) were also reportedly involved in behind-the-scenes orchestration with Guaidó.

Not surprisingly, Rubio on Thursday used news of Guaidó's ban from public office to charge Maduro with launching a "massive wave of targeted repression."</s>[BBC] Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó will be barred from holding further public office for 15 years, the maximum allowed by law, the state financial controller has announced.

Mr Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself interim president in January.

He has the support of more than 50 countries, including the US.

The BBC’s Will Grant in the Venezuelan capital Caracas says the decision to stop Mr Guaidó from holding office would come into force if he decided to put himself up for re-election at the end of his current term in the National Assembly.

Mr Guaidó rejected Mr Amoroso’s announcement, saying that he was “not auditor general”. “The legitimate congress is the only one with power to designate an auditor general,” he said.</s>Worsening the crisis in Venezuela the Nicolas Maduro government barred opposition leader. Venezuelan government has barred opposition leader Juan Guaido from holding public office for 15 years.

Venezuela’s Comptroller General Elvis Amoroso said, the decision was taken following an investigation that shows irregularities in his financial records. He said, the decision will be for the maximum period established in the decree with the scope, courage and strength of the law against corruption.

Guaido, the leader of the US-backed opposition-controlled National Assembly, has challenged Maduro and his socialist party for power. He invoked the country’s constitution to declared himself interim president in January, arguing Maduro’s May 2018 reelection was illegitimate</s>The Venezuelan government has barred opposition leader Juan Guaido from holding public office for 15 years.

The announcement by the state comptroller on Thursday increases pressure on the leader of the National Assembly, who is staging protests in an attempt to force President Nicolas Maduro from power.

The government cited alleged irregularities in the financial records of Guaido, who has said he expects more efforts by Maduro to derail his U.S.-backed opposition movement.</s>Guaidó calls on supporters to protest blackouts and prepare for a major Freedom March

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó has called on his supporters to take to the streets in protest at nationwide power cuts. He also told followers to prepare for a final push to try to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro.

The power cuts started on Monday and have hit hospitals, public transport, water and other services, worsening a national economic crisis. Maduro blamed the blackouts on sabotage by the opposition and the US. But the opposition argues that two decades of underinvestment and corruption by Venezuela's socialist government as the cause.

The time has come to agitate in every state, in every community, to get water back, get electricity back, get gas back, Mr Guaidó told a rally in the capital Caracas. The light has gone out, we cannot remain as passive actors, he said.

He told supporters the protests would take place on Saturday, but gave no further details. Mr Guaidó added that preparations were being made for a mass mobilization - dubbed Operation Freedom - to try to force Mr Maduro to step down. The event is intended to culminate in a huge march through Caracas.

No date has been set but Mr Guaidó said a rehearsal of the operation would be held on 6 April. He promised to travel across Venezuela to help preparations. Guaidó, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself interim leader on 23 January, saying Mr Maduro's re-election last May was illegitimate.

Caracas was first plunged into darkness on Monday. Power was restored four hours later, before a second blackout struck. The government told workers and students to stay at home as the power cuts continued. Power returned to about half the country's 24 states late on Tuesday, only to fail again on Wednesday morning.

The government has said it is battling to restore supplies and blamed the cuts on opposition sabotage and terrorism, without presenting any evidence for those claims.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela — The Venezuelan government has barred opposition leader Juan Guaido from holding public office for 15 years.

The announcement by the state comptroller on Thursday increases pressure on the leader of the National Assembly, who is staging protests in an attempt to force President Nicolas Maduro from power.

The government cited alleged irregularities in the financial records of Guaido, who has said he expects more efforts by Maduro to derail his U.S.-backed opposition movement.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The Red Cross has brokered a deal with representatives of Venezuela’s embattled leader Nicolás Maduro and his rival Juan Guaidó to allow humanitarian aid into the country, indicating a seldom-seen middle ground between the two men that contest the presidency.

The first shipment of aid for about 650,000 vulnerable people could reach Venezuela in two weeks, Francesco Rocca, the president of the International Federation of the Red Cross told a press conference on Friday.

“This is an operation similar to what’s going in Syria, in terms of the amount of people that will be attended,” Rocca said. “This obviously will not resolve the problems in Venezuela – and nobody should assume this is a complete solution.”

The shipment will include medical equipment, surgical kits and power generators – which are desperately needed as Venezuela grapples with devastating blackouts.

The operation once again puts humanitarian aid at the centre of the battle for power in Venezuela, following Guaidó’s failed attempt to unilaterally bring US-supported aid into the country last month.

Venezuela has been mired in an economic, political, and humanitarian crisis for five years. Shortages and hyperinflation - set to reach 10 million percent this year – have made medicines and even basic foodstuff hard to obtain for most people.

The average Venezuelan has lost 10kg in weight, according to Caritas, a Catholic humanitarian organisation, while 3 million people have fled.

Venezuela’s embattled president Nicolás Maduro has long denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis, and on 23 February blocked an effort led by Guaidó to bring aid into the country.

That day, violence erupted on Venezuela’s borders with Brazil and Colombia. Opposition supporters clashed with security forces, while some of the trucks carrying the food and medical supplies were burned in circumstances that remain unclear. Most of the trucks were turned around and little aid entered Venezuela.

Maduro portrayed the aid as a prelude to a foreign intervention, while his vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, described the packages as “cancerous”.

The new effort seems more likely to succeed in large part because of the involvement of the Red Cross, which had distanced itself from the previous attempt to shift the aid into Venezuela.

“Today’s Red Cross development is clear evidence that independent shuttle diplomacy and separate negotiations with Maduro and the opposition can pay off in Venezuela,” tweeted Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America.

Rocca stressed that the delivery of aid must remain “independent, neutral, impartial and unhindered”.

Guaidó, speaking in a video posted to Twitter on Friday morning, was quick to seize the announcement as a win, claiming a “great victory in our struggle”.

Maduro has not yet made an announcement on the new aid delivery.</s>Venezuela’s authoritarian regime may have finally acknowledged on Friday that the country is suffering a humanitarian crisis. The news comes as the wife of Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó visits South Florida this weekend to collect humanitarian aid.

This week news emerged of an internal U.N. report that says a quarter of Venezuela’s 30 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid. Now – after years of denying Venezuela’s economic catastrophe – socialist President Nicolás Maduro appears to have agreed to let international aid in.

The International Federation of the Red Cross says it will be allowed to distribute food, medicine and other basics that are desperately scarce in Venezuela. (But by late Friday afternoon Maduro had yet to comment.)

The U.S. and some 50 other countries no longer consider Maduro Venezuela’s president. They instead recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as its constitutionally legitimate leader.

Guaidó’s wife, Fabiana Rosales, visited President Trump in Washington this week. And this weekend she’ll be in South Florida collecting humanitarian aid for Venezuelans and rallying support for her husband’s movement.

Rosales will be at an aid warehouse Saturday, from 10 am to 6 pm, at Northwest 107th Avenue and 114th Street in Miami. Sunday afternoon at 5 pm she’ll be at Miami-Dade College’s West Campus in Doral.
Venezuelan state comptroller Elvis Amoroso announces that opposition leader Juan Guaidó is barred from holding public office for 15 years because of irregularities in his financial records. Guaidó, the National Assembly President, says he will continue his campaign to oust President Nicolás Maduro.