‘Come to the side of the constitution,’ Venezuela’s interim president urges military

Venezuela’s interim President Juan Guaidó says he won’t hide from Nicolás Maduro’s security forces as he tries to turn his popular support into viable political power.

Addressing thousands of onlookers at a public rally Friday, Guaidó, 35, reiterated calls for military and government officials to abandon Maduro and “come to the side of the constitution.”

And while he said he’s willing to find a negotiated solution to the growing crisis, Guaidó emphasized there were only three points to discuss: Maduro leaving his post, the installation of a transitional government, and calling free and fair elections.

“We are not going to tire and we’re not going to give up,” he said. “Venezuela has awoken.”

The rally was the first public event that Guaidó has held since he assumed the presidency on Wednesday, arguing it was his constitutional duty as the head of congress. Guaidó and his supporters say that Maduro is clinging to power through fraudulent elections and is therefore illegitimate.

Maduro also held an event on Friday and once again said it’s Guaidó who is trying to end-run the constitution and take over the presidency with Washington’s help.

“We are facing and we will triumph over this coup d’état,” Maduro said.

While Guaidó has managed to rally massive crowds and counts on popular support, Maduro, 56, still has the military on his side.

Even so, Guaidó assured supporters that there were members of the armed forces ready to jump ship, because they aren’t immune from the country’s problems, including hyperinflation and food and medicine shortages.

“I am sure that in the heart of military families they have the same feelings we do, because we’re all Venezuelan,” he said.

Guaidó said his next order of business is to spread the word about a new law that offers amnesty to military officials who help restore the constitutional order. And he asked his followers to deliver copies of that law to military friends, family and neighbors on Sunday.

“Tell them ‘Come join us, there’s no future with Maduro, he can’t protect you from persecution, hunger or misery,’ ” Guaidó said.

One of Guaidó’s main initiatives is to import food and medicine from neighboring countries — likely Colombia — via a “humanitarian corridor.” But he acknowledged that he’ll need the armed forces’ support to pull that off. The United States has already pledged $20 million for the aid effort.

Guaidó blasted Maduro, who came to power in 2013, for not doing enough to address the country’s hunger crisis.

“We’ve done in just two days what they’ve been incapable of doing in six years,” he said.

Venezuela’s turmoil has global implications. While the U.S. and more than a dozen countries have recognized Guaidó as president, Maduro still has powerful allies in Russia, China, Turkey and others. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has warned Washington not to meddle in Venezuelan affairs, and on Friday, Reuters reported that as many as 400 Russian security contractors may have flown into the country to protect Maduro.

Guaidó also took aim at one of Maduro’s most ardent backers: Cuba.

He said it was time for Cuba’s military advisers in Venezuela to step aside. “Cuban brothers, you are welcome to stay in the country but you must leave the armed forces and decision-making positions,” he said. “This is about our sovereignty.”

He also asked Venezuelan and U.S. diplomats to ignore Maduro’s orders to break off all ties. Guaidó said he spoke to a Venezuelan diplomat in Houston and asked her not to come home, as Maduro has instructed, but to continue serving the community in Texas. He says she responded: “Mr. President, I’m at your orders.”

Guaidó has broad support from the opposition but he’s also trying to appeal to people who feel betrayed by Maduro and the country’s “Bolivarian Revolution,” which aimed to help the poor but has collapsed under corruption and mismanagement.

On Friday, he said, “we’re not about twisting arms, we’re about extending our hands.”

Despite the growing enthusiasm for Guaidó he remains vulnerable without explicit military support. Two weeks ago, he was briefly detained by security forces only to be released an hour later. Guaidó acknowledged that he might end up behind bars again, but asked his followers to continue pushing “peacefully but with force” for new elections.

Since protests began in earnest on Jan. 21, more than 22 people have been killed and 369 have been arrested, said the nonprofit Foro Penal.

Guaidó said the martyrs who defended the constitution would not be forgotten.

“They can cut down flowers,” he said, “but they can never stop the spring.”

This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 1:50 PM.