Juan Guaidó returns to Venezuela, vows to ramp up pressure to oust Maduro
After completing a risky three-week trip that had him rubbing elbows with world leaders, Juan Guaidó returned to Venezuela Tuesday vowing to keep up the pressure until his rival, Nicolás Maduro, abandons the Miraflores presidential palace.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Chacao — a Caracas suburb and opposition stronghold — Guaidó said the often-fractured opposition has to work together to oust Maduro and his cronies.
“There is no room for us to be elbowing each other when we’re confronting a dictatorship,” he said. “This is a moment for unity, for us all to push together in a single direction.”
And while Guaidó said internal and international pressure will continue against Maduro, he stopped short of calling for any specific actions.
“As I’ve been saying, ‘stay tuned,’ ” he told the cheering crowd. “There are things we cannot say ... because we’re facing a dictatorship.”
Guaidó, 37, is considered Venezuela’s legitimate president by the United States and more than 50 other nations. And while he enjoys international and internal support, he’s been unable to dislodge Maduro since he launched his effort just over a year ago.
A timeline: Guaidó’s meteoric rise and troubled year.
While polls and analysts have suggested his movement has been losing steam, the opposition is hoping his surprise world tour and Tuesday’s return could revitalize his putsch.
Guaidó arrived at the Simón Bolívar International Airport, on the outskirts of Caracas, Tuesday afternoon, where he was greeted by supporters, opposition politicians and members of the diplomatic corps.
But he also faced raucous pro-government backers, who pushed and shoved him and threw liquid on him inside the airport. Outside the terminal, he was jostled by a mob as men tore at his white shirt and red crucifix.
Members of the National Assembly, where Guaidó is the president, said security forces had tried to physically block them from reaching the airport. And Guaidó’s wife said she had been assaulted inside the airport by pro-Maduro thugs.
Guaidó said the Maduro regime was relying on violence and gangs, known as colectivos, because the regime continues losing the support of the armed forces.
“The use of violence by the dictatorship is a reality, and the world knows it,” he said.
Several opposition politicians and people close to Guaidó have been arrested in recent months. And Guaidó said 11 members of his team were either in hiding or in exile due to government pressure.
World Tour
Guaidó left Venezuela on Jan. 19, in defiance of a travel ban, to visit Colombia, Europe and the United States, where he was often given presidential honors. After holding a rally in Miami on Feb. 1, he attended the State of the Union address and held a high-profile meeting with President Donald Trump.
Guaidó announced his return to Venezuela on Twitter Tuesday, with a simple “I’m back home,” and a picture of himself at customs.
“The dictatorship has never been more alone,” he wrote earlier in the day. “Today more than ever we need unity, confidence and political discipline. Be alert for new announcements. We’re back.”
U.S. government officials have warned Maduro from detaining or harming Guaidó. And Washington has pledged to continue ratcheting up sanctions on the struggling South American nation.
“The mechanisms of pressure will keep increasing,” Guaidó said. “Even though they might be controversial, they will keep increasing.”
While Washington says its sanctions are targeted at regime insiders, many of the efforts are broader, sapping the economy.
In particular, Guaidó said the world needs to crack down on the regime’s gold exports, which are destroying the environment and fueling armed groups in Venezuela and neighboring Colombia.
“The blood gold has to stop,” he said.
Diosdado Cabello, one of the Venezuelan regime’s most powerful figures, said on Monday that no harm would befall Guaidó, even as he’s accused of treason and other crimes.
But Cabello also said Guaidó will eventually face consequences, saying justice “is sometimes late but always arrives.”
Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, says elections two years ago give him the right to run the country through 2025. He accuses Guaidó of trying to instigate a coup with Washington’s backing.
As he’s done in the past, Guaidó called on members of the armed forces and Maduro’s allies to abandon him and “come to the side of the constitution,” saying they would be given full “guarantees.”
“Quit being such cowards,” he said. “It’s clear that you no longer have the backing of the people of Venezuela. It’s clear that you’re isolated.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 4:14 PM.
