An anti-government protester wears Venezuelan flag motif sunglasses during a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas. Photos / AP
Massive numbers of anti-government protesters rallied in a dramatic show of resolve, escalating the campaign to drive Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power even as the first major defection occurred among his crucial military backers.
The demonstrations alone were unlikely to cause Maduro to buckle.
But the open defiance on the streets seeks to keep the pressure on Maduro at home while sending a message to other nations considering throwing their support behind the opposition and its leader, Juan Guaidó.
Opposition leaders also hope large-scale protests - in combination with international isolation and sanctions - will push Maduro to negotiate his exit or prod the military to force him out.
Guaidó - who heads the opposition-controlled National Assembly that last month proclaimed Maduro a usurper - addressed crowds near the European Union offices in Caracas in hopes that France, Britain and other European powers would join the United States and others to recognise Guaidó as Venezuela's de facto leader.
Maduro was already hit by a blow from within: A senior figure in the armed forces broke publicly from the Government. It marked the most serious act of dissent yet from the military brass, which has so far stood behind Maduro as his main bulwark against the opposition.
In a video circulating on social media, an acting Venezuelan air force general, Francisco Yanez, denounced the "dictatorship" of Maduro and recognised opposition leader Guaidó's claim as the nation's legitimate interim leader.
"People of Venezuela, 90 per cent of the armed forces are not with the dictator," Yanez, in uniform, said in a video that he appears to have filmed himself. "The transition to democracy is imminent."
The Twitter account of Venezuela's air force, which consistently retweets Maduro and other government officials, released a photo of the video with the word "traitor" in red letters scrawled over Yanez's face.
"We have to highlight that he has no command over troops and less so over air force units," an air force tweet said. "He has no leadership at the air force and was only serving planning functions."
For the opposition, the massive protests marked a key step forward in its ability to sustain a social uprising against Maduro. The anointed successor of leftist Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013, Maduro was sworn in for a new six-year term last month following elections internationally derided as fraudulent.
Guaidó has evoked constitutional powers declaring himself the nation's rightful interim leader, setting up a global power play that has seen Russia and Cuba back Maduro while a growing list of Western nations, led by the United States, back Guaidó.
In an attempt to rally his side, Maduro also brought supporters onto the streets for counterprotests marking 20 years of socialist rule.
But those crowds were vastly overwhelmed by the turnout at opposition marches in Caracas and more than two dozen cities nationwide, which appeared to be in the hundreds of thousands.
Speaking to the masses in a hoarse voice, Guaidó appealed to "chavistas" - or those who have long supported Chávez.
"I want to send a message to the Chavista people," Guaidó said. "You believed in a project, and now you've been disappointed." He added, "the military and the world take note, there are many, many people filling the streets of Venezuela today. This movement is historic, and unstoppable."
At the smaller pro-government rally, people in the crowd shouted "prison for Guaidó." Maduro responded by suggesting that he still has moves to make.
"Everything at its right time," he told supporters. "We know what we have to do in every moment, justice sometimes takes time but it comes."
Maduro also called for new elections for the opposition-controlled National Assembly. Stripped of its power in 2017 by the government, the body has nevertheless continued to meet, and Guaidó's constitutional claim as interim leader is based on him being the elected head of the chamber.
“Juan Guaidó, recognized by Washington as the rightful leader, said he would sell state assets and invite private investment in the energy industry” https://t.co/z1Ipnp643b
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 2, 2019
Although official media did not broadcast the protests, government forces, at least by midafternoon, appeared to be using restraint in crowd control. A video circulating on social media showing a national police officer in the city of Barquisimeto telling protesters he would not use violence against them. One protester was shown hugging the guard.
"We are marching because we can't take this situation any more," said Carmen Sanchez, a 42-year-old woman who lives in the slum of Petare, who joined a protest in Caracas stretching for many city blocks and onto the balconies of buildings.
"We don't have enough money for food. This government has to resign for Venezuela to be beautiful again and I have faith Guaidó will bring us success," Sanchez said.
She said the past week at the slum has been terrifying, with security forces raiding homes. "Last week was horrible. They took kids from their homes, we were all threatened," she said.
At the pro-government march in central Caracas, there were about 300 people at 10.30 am. Dressed in red and with ruling party flags, they were marching toward the presidential palace.
If Nicolás Maduro does fall, Vladimir Putin would have more to worry about than squandered investments https://t.co/OVrEmTxFJz
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 2, 2019
"Our people, once again, overflowing this avenue," Maduro said, addressing his supporters. He added, "those who accuse us of being a dictatorship must know that since the foundation of the revolution, we have become a profoundly free and democratic people. Venezuela will never have a dictatorship."
Guaidó, a 35-year-old industrial engineer, outlined a plan to ship humanitarian aid into the shattered country, which is facing widespread hunger and desperation amid an economic collapse. He announced three staging areas on Venezuela's borders with Colombia and Brazil and on one nearby Caribbean island. Maduro has resisted allowing in international aid, and Guaidó has hoped to use caravans of food to challenge the military and Government's will.
"It will be a dilemma for the officers," he said. "You, generals, will decide."
The Trump Administration has said no options are "off the table" as it seeks to pressure Maduro to resign. US officials last week threw up new sanctions that effectively cut off Maduro from Venezuela's most important foreign revenue stream: US oil sales.
In a radio interview, US national security adviser John Bolton suggested Maduro would end up in Guantanamo Bay if he didn't leave power.
"I wish him a long, quiet retirement on a pretty beach far from Venezuela," Bolton said. "And the sooner he takes advantage of that, the sooner he's likely to have a nice, quiet retirement on a pretty beach rather than being in some other beach area like Guantanamo."
Maduro's long standoff against Venezuela’s parliament https://t.co/dMRBzDu1iC pic.twitter.com/Uz9GYoE0Ek
— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) February 2, 2019
Maduro successfully rode out four months of protests in 2017 after an iron-fisted response left more than 100 dead. Since protests restarted two weeks ago, the Government had unleashed another wave of repression that has left at least 35 dead and 850 detained.
The defection of Yanez, the air force general, suggested new cracks in the military hierarchy that has previously proclaimed steadfast loyalty to Maduro.
Antonio Rivero, a former Venezuelan general now living in exile in Miami, said Yanez did not appear to command a large contingent of troops, and his strategy remained unclear - as did Yanez's present whereabouts.
"For now, I see him isolated, he doesn't have a division behind him," Rivero said.
On January 21, a group of national guard soldiers took to the streets of a western Caracas slum and filmed themselves calling people to the streets. They had taken weapons from a military unit. But the small insurrection was quickly squashed, and 27 soldiers were jailed.
'We are very close': Tens of thousands in Venezuela demand Maduro's exit https://t.co/nEenPNtYKo
— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) February 2, 2019
Maduro has called for dialogue with the opposition, saying he is willing to meet Guaidó "wherever, whenever, he wants." But the opposition, which has engaged in fruitless roundtables with the Government before, has seen the offer as a ruse to buy time.
Maduro was bracing this weekend for the prospect of further international diplomatic blows.
The European Parliament already called on the bloc's member states to recognise Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president.
The EU has moved to form an "international contact group" designed to create the conditions necessary to hold new elections.
Venezuelan opposition lawmakers said they are not expecting the EU as a bloc to recognise Guaidó, but they are awaiting announcements from key countries.
Venezuela's oil sector is suffering from:
— Bloomberg (@business) February 2, 2019
🛢️ Years of under-investment
🛢️ Mismanagement
🛢️ The exodus of large parts of the skilled workforce
This damage can't be quickly reversed https://t.co/upvYxeXnXX via @bopinion pic.twitter.com/f1AJt3jM1J
The 80m submarine features US combat systems and torpedoes.