Page 12 - AT
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A12   WORLD NEWS
                Tuesday 24 december 2019
            Buzz over Venezuela's Guaido fades as Maduro holds firm



            By SCOTT SMITH                                                                                                      driguez  declared  the  "at-
            Associated Press                                                                                                    tempted  coup  d'etat"  led
            CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)                                                                                             by President Donald Trump
            — Tour operator Alejandro                                                                                           a  failure  as  she  spoke  last
            Palacios  joined  hundreds                                                                                          week to the National Con-
            of  thousands  of  Venezue-                                                                                         stituent  Assembly,  a  body
            lans protesting in the streets                                                                                      the  government  created
            early  this  year,  wanting  to                                                                                     to  bypass  the  opposition-
            believe  that  things  would                                                                                        dominated congress.
            finally change in the coun-                                                                                         "They   don't   understand
            try  as  upstart  opposition                                                                                        what's  happening  within
            leader Juan Guaidó rallied                                                                                          Venezuela," Rodriguez said.
            international  support  and                                                                                         "They   follow   Hollywood
            promised  a  swift  end  to                                                                                         scripts  but  don't  have  an
            President Nicolás Maduro's                                                                                          ending  our  political  proj-
            rule.                                                                                                               ect."
            To     Palacios,   Guaidó                                                                                           Maduro has agreed to sev-
            seemed  different  from  the                                                                                        eral rounds of negotiations
            string  of  past  opposition                                                                                        over  the  years,  including
            leaders  who  had  chal-                                                                                            some  sponsored  by  the
            lenged  Maduro  and  his                                                                                            Vatican  and  the  govern-
            predecessor, the late Hugo                                                                                          ment of Norway that raised
            Chavez,  over  20  years  of                                                                                        hopes  of  a  breakthrough
            increasingly   authoritarian   In this Dec. 16, 2019 photo, Venezuela's National Assembly President and self-proclaimed interim   to the political crisis, only to
                                         President Juan Guaido speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Caracas, Venezu-
            socialist rule.              ela.                                                                                   have them fall apart.
            The United States and doz-                                                                         Associated Press  Accelerating  the  opposi-
            ens  of  nations  had  thrown                                                                                       tion's  downfall  have  been
            their  support  behind  the  to  protest,  nor  do  most  of  in 2020 as long as the elec-  sis, with many believing he  revelations of corruption.
            youthful     congressional  the  others  who  once  filled  toral  board  running  the  would rid them of Maduro  The National Assembly that
            leader,  recognizing  him  the streets.                   vote  remains  packed  with  within three months.         Guaidó  heads  has  sus-
            as  the  country's  legitimate  Cracks  have  even  ap-   Maduro loyalists.            "Guaido  became  the  out-   pended  seven  opposition
            president,   arguing   that  peared in Guaidó's base of  Still,  Guaidó  insists  his  do-  sider  that  people  were  lawmakers — three of them
            Maduro's  re-election  was  support in the National As-   mestic  and  international  looking  for  to  face  Madu-  from  Guaido's  Popular  Will
            invalidated by fraud and a  sembly, the only major insti-  support will only grow.     ro,"  said  Datanalisis'  presi-  party — who are accused
            ban on most opponents.       tution controlled by the op-  Guaidó,  the  hand-picked  dent  Luis  Vicente  Leon.  of  lobbying  on  behalf  of
            And  there  seemed  to  be  position.  His  re-election  as  successor to then-detained  "A  kind  of  hope  formed  businessmen   who   were
            signs that the military might  congressional  president  is  opposition  leader  Leop-  around him."                under investigation both in
            heed  Guaidó's  repeated  no longer assured and leg-      oldo  López,  leaped  onto  Today  that  support  has  Venezuela and the U.S. for
            calls  for  soldiers  to  aban-  islators' official terms expire  the stage last January at a  sunk  by  20  percentage  allegedly defrauding Mad-
            don Maduro. A few joined  in a few months.                dark moment in the once-     points,  said  Leon,  a  sign  uro's landmark food subsidy
            him in the streets in a quick-  Throughout,  the  36-year-  wealthy  nation's  history.  that Venezuelans are start-  program.
            ly quelled uprising. The U.S.  old  Guaidó  has  admit-   Despite  sitting  atop  the  ing  to  think  that  removing  In January, the National As-
            and other nations sent car-  ted  no  mistakes,  and  nei-  world's  largest  proven  oil  Maduro  from  power  may  sembly must decide wheth-
            avans of aid to Venezuela's  ther  he  nor  his  backers  in  reserves,  gasoline  shortag-  be impossible.         er to extend Guaidó's ten-
            borders  to  be  distributed  Washington  have  offered  es plague the nation, most  Maduro,  whose  approval  ure, and he said he is confi-
            by  Guaidó's  backers,  and  a  fresh  strategy  to  rescue  homes  don't  have  reliable  ratings  in  the  other  polls  dent he has the backing to
            they were put in charge of  their  floundering  battle  to  drinking water or electricity  have dipped closer to 10%,  be re-elected as assembly
            many  Venezuelan  embas-     unseat Maduro. The Trump  and there are shortages of  has  proven  more  resilient  president. Analysts say ap-
            sies and assets abroad.      administration  has  con-    food,  medicine  and  spare  than many expected.          pointing  any  alternative
            Then  February  turned  to  tinued  to  pile  economic  parts.                         Venezuela's  oil  production  would  be  devastating  for
            March,  and  the  months  and  travel  sanctions  onto  Roughly  4.5  million  people  has inched up for the sec-   the opposition.
            marched  by.  No  interna-   members of Maduro's inner  have  left  the  country,  fig-  ond  consecutive  month  Adding  to  his  obstacles,
            tional aid made it through  circle,  but  so  far  with  little  ures  that  rival  mass  migra-  after  crashing  to  a  seven-  Maduro's  government  has
            Maduro's  blockade.  The  effect.                         tion from war-torn Syria.    decade  low  under  U.S.  stepped  up  its  campaign
            military  stayed  loyal.  Even  "We're  up  against  a  dicta-  Seizing on the nation's des-  sanctions,  and  shoppers  to  undermine  the  opposi-
            the  nation's  catastrophic  torship," Guaidó said in an  peration,   Guaidó   drew  are increasingly pulling U.S.  tion, offering large bribes to
            economy  began  to  im-      interview  with  The  Associ-  masses  into  the  streets  dollars  from  their  wallets  lawmakers to vote against
            prove  slightly.  Maduro  re-  ated  Press.  "I  think  that  is  11  months  ago  when  he  —  a  sign  the  economy  is  Guaido, Elliott Abrams, the
            mains in power.              central."                    claimed to be Venezuela's  bouncing back, or at least  U.S.  special  envoy  to  Ven-
            "Here  we  are  today,  like  Guaidó  said  he  remains  legitimate interim president  stabilizing, due in part to an  ezuela,  told  reporters  in
            nothing  ever  happened,"  focused  on  winning  over  after  congress  declared  easing of currency controls  Washington on Friday.
            said  a  disillusioned  Pala-  the military, the linchpin of  Maduro's re-election illegal.  that  the  government  had  Maduro's   government
            cios, 26, who has watched  support for Maduro, and he  The  bold  move  overnight  earlier resisted.                also   recently   charged
            many  relatives  pack  up  dismissed  the  idea  of  fur-  turned Guaidó into the na-  Maduro  also  appeals  to  four  opposition  lawmak-
            and  leave  in  desperation  ther  negotiations  with  the  tion's  most-popular  politi-  many Venezuelans who still  ers with treason and rebel-
            while  he  stayed  behind  to  socialist  administration  —  cian  since  Chavez  burst  mistrust an opposition seen  lion, bringing to roughly 32
            care  for  his  parents  living  talks  his  side  says  Maduro  onto  the  political  scene  in  as  corrupt  and  elitist  and  the  number  of  legislators
            on  a  government  pension  has used to defuse protests  the early 1990s. More than  who honor the memory of  who have been detained,
            constantly  shrinking  under  without  making  conces-    60% of Venezuelans viewed  Chavez,  who  died  before  forced  into  exile  or  had
            the world's highest inflation.  sions.                    him  favorably  in  February,  the  economic  collapse  hit  their  constitutional  immu-
            Palacios no longer answers  He also said he favors boy-   according    to   Caracas-   home.                        nity  from  prosecution  re-
            the opposition leader's call  cotting legislative elections  based polling firm Datanali-  Vice  President  Delcy  Ro-  voked. q
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