CARACAS, Venezuela (Kayhan Intl.) — A group led by U.S.-backed Juan Guaidó in said Sunday that it won’t participate in Venezuela’s upcoming congressional elections.
The Associated Press said a group of 27 "opposition parties” rejected the Dec. 6 election as "fraud.”
The vote would determine control of the National Assembly led by Guaidó and the boycott shows the U.S.-backed parties are apparently worried about new political losses after seeing all their efforts to topple President Nicolas Maduro go awry.
"We will fight together to choose the fate of our country,” Guaidó tweeted Sunday. "Now we must mobilize our majority that desires to live with dignity. Together we’re going to beat the regime!”
The coalition has invited its loyalists to unite behind a fresh push to oust Maduro. It has also asked for more foreign help in the campaign against the Venezuelan president.
Maduro didn’t immediately respond Sunday to the opposition’s decision, but he has said that it is important to win back the National Assembly from U.S.-backed "puppets”. He has accused opposition leaders who control the congress of being manipulated by the United States.
Venezuela is in a political and economic crisis during which roughly 5 million people have fled the nation in recent years amid draconian U.S. sanctions. The once-wealthy oil nation lacks basic goods, including a reliable supply of gasoline and a decent health care system, which is especially fragile as the coronavirus surges.
The opposition coalition refused to submit to the December election results which gave Maduro another term.
Guaidó launched a campaign to oust Maduro early last year, but the president still has the support of the military and other major institutions, much to the West’s chagrin. Maduro also has international support from Russia, China, Iran, Cuba and Turkey among others.
It remains unclear how Guaidó, following the election, would maintain his legitimacy as Venezuela’s interim president, a position he claimed under the constitution in early 2019 from his position as head of the National Assembly.
President Donald Trump was among the first of more than 50 nations to support Guaidó. His administration has hit Venezuela with stiff sanctions designed to isolate it, while Trump’s confidence in Guaidó appears to be fading.
However, Elliott Abrams, Trump’s special representative for Venezuela, said recently that the U.S. continues to support Guaidó, and the administration will impose more pressure on Maduro.
The Associated Press said a group of 27 "opposition parties” rejected the Dec. 6 election as "fraud.”
The vote would determine control of the National Assembly led by Guaidó and the boycott shows the U.S.-backed parties are apparently worried about new political losses after seeing all their efforts to topple President Nicolas Maduro go awry.
"We will fight together to choose the fate of our country,” Guaidó tweeted Sunday. "Now we must mobilize our majority that desires to live with dignity. Together we’re going to beat the regime!”
The coalition has invited its loyalists to unite behind a fresh push to oust Maduro. It has also asked for more foreign help in the campaign against the Venezuelan president.
Maduro didn’t immediately respond Sunday to the opposition’s decision, but he has said that it is important to win back the National Assembly from U.S.-backed "puppets”. He has accused opposition leaders who control the congress of being manipulated by the United States.
Venezuela is in a political and economic crisis during which roughly 5 million people have fled the nation in recent years amid draconian U.S. sanctions. The once-wealthy oil nation lacks basic goods, including a reliable supply of gasoline and a decent health care system, which is especially fragile as the coronavirus surges.
The opposition coalition refused to submit to the December election results which gave Maduro another term.
Guaidó launched a campaign to oust Maduro early last year, but the president still has the support of the military and other major institutions, much to the West’s chagrin. Maduro also has international support from Russia, China, Iran, Cuba and Turkey among others.
It remains unclear how Guaidó, following the election, would maintain his legitimacy as Venezuela’s interim president, a position he claimed under the constitution in early 2019 from his position as head of the National Assembly.
President Donald Trump was among the first of more than 50 nations to support Guaidó. His administration has hit Venezuela with stiff sanctions designed to isolate it, while Trump’s confidence in Guaidó appears to be fading.
However, Elliott Abrams, Trump’s special representative for Venezuela, said recently that the U.S. continues to support Guaidó, and the administration will impose more pressure on Maduro.
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