Before the planned mass protests of government opponents in Venezuela today, the situation in the country is getting worse. After a failed uprising by National Guardsmen clashes between government opponents and the police occurred in the capital Caracas, as the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflicts (OVCS) announced yesterday. In several poorer neighborhoods demonstrators set up roadblocks or looted shops. The police used tear gas.
The opposition has called for mass protests against President Nicolas Maduro. The government also wants to mobilize its supporters. US Vice President Mike Pence assured the opposition his government’s support. „We’re at your side,“ Pence said in a video message on Twitter. He called on the government opponents to „make their voice heard“. He called Maduro a „dictator.“
Heavy economic crisis
The Caracas government condemned Pence’s comments. Washington calls „open to a coup,“ said Secretary of Communications Jorge Rodriguez. He accused Pence of inciting opponents of the government to violence in the upcoming mass protests.
Maduro had commenced his second term on January 10th. The presidential election last May, however, had been boycotted by most of the opposition. It does not recognize the result, nor does the EU, the US and a number of Latin American countries. Apart from the political crisis, Venezuela is also suffering from a severe economic crisis with supply bottlenecks. In 2017, during months of opposition protests, 125 people were killed.
