Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó claims he has the support of the military

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó claims he has the support of the military
By Euronews with Associated Press
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Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó insists he has the backing of most of the military as he ramps up his campaign to unseat President Nicolas Maduro.

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Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó has called for more protests this weekend as he ramps up his campaign to unseat President Nicolas Maduro.

In an interview on Friday, Guaidó insisted he has the backing of 80 to 85% of the military, 11 days after he failed to persuade the armed forces to rise up against the government.

“We're not calling for a confrontation between soldiers, between brothers,” Guaidó said in the interview. “Not at all. On the contrary, we are calling on them to support the Constitution, not even to support Juan Guaidó or the National Assembly, that is what brought us to this disaster. We are calling on them to support the Constitution.”

Guaido declared himself interim president in January after calling Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud.

The US and other western nations recognised Guaidó but he needs the backing of the military if he is to regain the momentum in his fight with Maduro.

Maduro, meanwhile, remains defiant and has been moving to reassert control.

He has ordered the arrest of senior officials, purged the military and forced leading opposition politicians into hiding.

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