Supporters of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro cheer during the government rally in Caracas on Saturday. Photo m/ AP
Supporters of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro cheer during the government rally in Caracas on Saturday. Photo m/ AP
Thousands of people streamed to anti-government demonstrations in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, despite a heavy police presence and a new round of blackouts that closed the metro in the capital and shut down social media.
In Caracas, black-helmeted police blocked streets and attempted to halt marchers headed to AvenidaVictoria, a downtown boulevard where opposition leader Juan Guaidó held a rally. Nonetheless, thousands swarmed the site to cheer Guaidó, who has been recognised by more than 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president. The crowd stretched for eight blocks.
"We are so tired of everything happening here," said Leidy Medina, 31, a nurse who said she walked two hours to reach the demonstration.
"It was really difficult to get here because there was no metro," said Jorge Araiy, 22, an employee of the private TV channel Venevision. He said he walked four hours and took a bus before hitting the police barricade. He eventually got through.
President Nicolás Maduro's Government has largely ignored Guaidó, apparently hoping the opposition movement will exhaust itself, as previous such efforts have. Maduro has maintained the backing of the powerful armed forces and controls paramilitary groups known as "colectivos."
People shout slogans against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a blackout in Caracas. Photo / AP
Yesterday, Maduro appeared at a "Day of Anti-imperialism rally" in central Caracas, saying he was "facing my responsibilities as the elected and legitimate president of Venezuela." It was Maduro's first public appearance since the start of the blackout — the worst in living memory in this oil-rich country. He spoke in a sector of the city that did not have power.
Maduro has alleged that the US government was behind the power outage, a charge that Washington denies. He said that 70 per cent of the nation's electricity had been restoredat the weekend "when we received another attack" on the system.
Electrical experts say the blackout is more likely due to corruption, a lack of maintenance, the exodus of skilled workers and the soaring cost of imported parts.
