A military base in Caracas, called la Carlota, has rebelled against the Maduro goverment and are now being commanded by Juan Guaidó.
Self-declared Venezuelan ‘interim president’ Juan Guaido has called for a military uprising in a video shot at a Caracas airbase, accompanied by a number of soldiers and detained activist Leopoldo Lopez.
The moment has come to “start the end of the usurpation,” Guaido said in the video, flanked by heavily-armed soldiers and an armored vehicle. According to him, the speech was made at the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in Caracas, commonly known as ‘La Carlota’.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, meanwhile, blasted Guaido’s move as “a coup with the aims to flood the country with violence.”
The army “stands firm in defense of the National Constitution and the legitimate authorities,” he said, adding that the military units all across Venezuela are staying at their bases and remain loyal to their commanders.
Around 50 countries globally, including the US, have recognized Guaido's 'interim presidency'. He has argued that Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate, and in recent weeks has stepped up pressure on Maduro to step down. In response, Maduro's government has stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and barred him from leaving the country.
Bolivian President Evo Morales decried the “coup”, writing on Twitter: “We strongly condemn the coup attempt in #Venezuela, by the right wing that is submissive to foreign interests.” President Maduro retweeted the note of support on Tuesday morning.
President Morales added: “The United States with its interference and promoting coups seeks to provoke violence and death in #Venezuela, it does not care about human losses, only its interests. We must be vigilant and united so that the coup plotters never return to our region.”
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