Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 3 February 2020

Guaidó rallies Venezuelan expats in Miami at end of tour

By GISELA SALOMON and a picture of himself golfing are things that are not talk- led National Assembly. In zuela Affairs Unit of the U.S.
SCOTT SMITH at his Florida Mar-a-Lago ed about. All necessary ac- this position he claimed Embassy in Bogota, Colom-
Associated Press club, saying he was "Get- tions will be used to finally presidential powers, vow- bia. The opposition leader
MIAMI, Florida (AP) — Ven- also mingled with Venezu-
ezuela's Juan Guaidó told elans who have fled their
a large crowd of cheer- homeland for the United
ing expatriates in Miami on States over the last two de-
Saturday that he will soon cades.
make his return to Cara- Florida Republican Sen.
cas from an international Rick Scott was among
tour, bringing with him the those on stage with Guaidó
"world's backing" to oust as well as several Venezu-
President Nicolás Maduro. elan lawmakers now living
"We have a plan. We have in exile. Florida Sen. Marco
a strategy," Guaidó said. Rubio said on Twitter that
"We're not alone, and he would be meeting with
we're going to restore de- Guaidó.
mocracy." Many at the rally wore
The opposition leader bent baseball hats with bright
on unseating the social- yellow, blue and red, rep-
ist president, however, resenting the colors of Ven-
presented few details for ezuela's flag. When Guaidó
executing this plan upon stepped on stage, they
returning, referring to addi- cheered and held up their
tional sanctions as a major phones for photos.
strategy available. "We want him to tell us
Guaidó's visit to Miami what's going to happen,"
rounds out a two-week Venezuela's interim President Juan Guaido speaks to the media after a rally in Miami, Saturday, said Gloria Bejaramo, 65,
world tour that took him first Feb. 1, 2020. Associated Press who traveled from Venezu-
to Colombia, then across ela to South Florida to visit a
Europe and Canada, daughter. "I've always sup-
where he held meetings ting a little exercise." liberate Venezuela." ing to oust Maduro and ported him, and everyone
with a list of world leaders. When asked about a pos- Venezuela was once an en- reverse the political and so- is looking for a way out of
He delivered a message sible meeting with Trump, ergy powerhouse with the cial crisis. this situation to achieve de-
that Venezuelans are press- Guaidó said: "Stay tuned," world's largest oil reserves, He won backing from the mocracy."
ing for freedom from a "dic- but he also said he was al- but crude production has U.S. and nearly 60 nations Native Venezuelan Jorge
tator," but they need help. ready preparing his return plummeted over the last that considered Maduro's Márquez, 30, traveled with
A key meeting absent from to Venezuela. two decades, which critics 2018 election a fraud and two friends from his ad-
Guaidó's trip was with his An estimated 3,500 peo- blame on corruption and blamed his socialist policies opted home in Houston to
most important ally, Presi- ple crowded into a Miami mismanagement. for the crisis that's driving Miami to show their support
dent Donald Trump, who convention center to hear Today, an estimated 4.5 mass migration and threat- for Guaidó.
earlier in the day tweeted Guaidó, the most promis- million Venezuelans have ening the region's stability. "We're a people who don't
ing opposition political fig- emigrated from the coun- Maduro, however, has give up — don't rest," said
ure to surface in years with try of 30 million, leaving maintained power with firm Marquez, who said he pro-
the chance of ending two behind crumbling infra- backing of the military and tested against socialist rule
decades of rule launched structure, broken hospitals, key foreign allies, including as a university students in
by the late President Hugo power failures and gasoline China, Cuba and Turkey. Venezuela before arriving
Chávez. Guaido urged the shortages with mile-long Russian Foreign Minister Ser- to the United States in 2014
crowd to remain unified lines at filling stations across gey Lavrov is expected to requesting political asylum.
and to resist, despite living much of the South Ameri- visit Caracas in the coming Guaidó launched the
away from Venezuela. can nation. days. international tour, defy-
"All options are on the Guaido, 36, rose a year ago Before the rally, Guaidó ing a travel ban imposed
table, but also under the to prominence, named met with James Story, char- against him by Maduro's
table," Guaidó said. "There leader of the opposition- gé d' affaires for the Vene- government.q