Venezuela’s Opposition Plans Parallel Government

[Dashinka 24,591]

More news from the utopia that is the Democratic Socialist state of Venezuela.  Maybe if they can actually oust Maduro, they can get back to some real capitalism and save their state.

 

By 

Kejal Vyas and  Anatoly Kurmanaev

Updated July 17, 2017 9:18 p.m. ET

20 COMMENTS

CARACAS—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro came under growing pressure Monday as the opposition announced plans for a parallel government and U.S. President Donald Trump warned of sanctions if his government moves ahead with plans to rewrite the constitution.

“It’s time for the zero hour,” the vice president of congress, Freddy Guevara, said at a news conference on Monday flanked by other foes of Mr. Maduro. 

Mr. Guevara called for a 24-hour strike on Thursday, a day before lawmakers in the opposition-controlled National Assembly are scheduled to name replacements for some of the magistrates allied to Mr. Maduro on the country’s top court.

 

The opposition’s new strategy came as the Trump administration said it would impose “swift economic actions” if Mr. Maduro goes ahead with a planned election on July 30 to the constituent assembly charged with rewriting the constitution.

“The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles,” President Trump said in a statement. The president said Venezuelans’ “strong and courageous actions continue to be ignored by a bad leader who dreams of becoming a dictator.” 

People familiar with the discussions in the White House say the administration has been pondering sanctioning Venezuela’s state-controlled oil company and its executives or taking an even tougher measure, such as finding a way to curtail the oil revenues on which Mr. Maduro’s government depends.

“My sense is there’s an intensive review on a variety of options,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a policy group in Washington that tracks Venezuela. “I wouldn’t be surprised about discussions on very severe measures against the Venezuelan government. If so, I hope they do more good than harm.”

The Trump administration hasn’t publicly commented on the scope of its potential sanctions against Venezuela. 

More than 7.5 million Venezuelans at home and abroad cast ballots on Sunday in an unofficial plebiscite organized by the opposition to serve as a mass repudiation of the unpopular Mr. Maduro’s efforts to create a constituent assembly on July 30 that would redraft the constitution. The opposition, along with international human-rights groups and several governments, say the move is an attempt by the increasingly authoritarian leader to seize more power and bypass elections.

 

Voters on Sunday were presented with three questions. More than 98% of those who voted were against the government on the constitution redo, urged the holding of general elections and demanded that the military, which has helped Mr. Maduro by cracking down on protesters during three months of deadly civil unrest, abide by the law.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-opposition-sets-general-strike-1500323383