Venezuelan president accuses U.S. of inciting a coup

This past week in Venezuela, elections (which many western countries have called illegitimate) were held that saw incumbent president Nicolas Maduro retain control over opposition leader Juan Guaido. Many critics have accused the elections of being rigged in favor of Maduro who has been criticized for tanking the Venezuelan economy. In the wake of the elections, opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself acting president despite Maduro's refusal to relinquish power. This has lead to an internal struggle and numerous protests that have led to an estimated 20 dead so far. Countries such as the United States, the UK, and Spain have all either backed or plan on backing Guaido if Maduro doesn't step down and hold new, fairer elections. Maduro has lashed out at the global criticism surrounding him and has accused the United States of orchestrating a coup attempt in order to remove Maduro from office. Maduro believes that the U.S. harbors resentment and hatred towards Venezuela and as a result had supported the opposition in an attempt to destroy the Venezuelan economy. In an attempt to move forward with a peaceful transition of power, Juan Guaido has offered amnesty to those in the military or public sphere that opt to join his movement. This is detrimental to Maduro's viability of remaining in power as military strength is likely the only factor keeping him in power and at least two high-ranking Venezuelan military officials have chosen to join Juan Guaido's opposition.


https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/27/americas/venezuela-maduro-us-coup-accusation/index.html


Robin Czajowski