Venezuela breaks diplomatic relations with Washington. The opposition protested yesterday, its leader proclaimed himself acting president, Donald Trump immediately acknowledged.
Remember his name, Juan Guaido. He is 35 years old, he is a big brown man with a determined air, deputy of a popular district. A perfect stranger, two weeks ago. And then, he arose at the head of the opposition, elected Speaker of Parliament. It's a one-way ticket to the prison. Juan Guaido has also been arrested illico on the highway, an American film scene, live intimidation. The police released him after an hour. She was wrong: he is not intimidated.
On the contrary, he climbs to the floor. He denounces the imposture of Nicolas Maduro, he calls for free elections and he organizes a big demonstration, as we did not see any more in Caracas. Yesterday, in the middle of the crowd, he passed the fifth. He proclaimed himself "Acting President". Immediately recognized as legitimate president by neighboring countries that can not stand the Venezuelan chaos anymore and by the Americans. All this in a fortnight is a commando operation, an orbiting.
It looks like a putsch.
Behind the scenes, a smart guy plays the sprinkler watered. Four years ago, the opposition had a tidal wave in the legislative elections. The Tyrannosaurus of Caracas is not one to live together. So he bypassed Parliament, setting up a Constituent Assembly and transferring the Legislature to him. Opponents got their heads in vain. He denied them all authority. Then he was re-elected, preventing his opponents from running.
Juan Guaido does it pretty much the same thing. He is President of the National Assembly. He therefore decrees that he is the legitimate representative of the people, he bypasses Maduro. He denies her all power. It is a putsch, but without a uniform.
It is said that the army is the only institution still standing in Venezuela.
And again, there is a mutiny every six months, the last was Monday. The purges are permanent, Nicolas Maduro is wary. Juan Guaido has promised amnesty to the military, which is a way of telling them that they will be accountable if they continue to support the regime. The barracks are a raft in the middle of the sinking. Inflation is expected to reach 10 million percent in 2019. There is a shortage of everything, not just freedoms. Four out of five hospitals no longer have running water.
Five million Venezuelans are preparing to take the roads of exile, 2.5 million of their compatriots preceded them, making the neighboring countries pitch. A humanitarian disaster never seen in Latin America. All this in an oil emirate. It's Ubu in the land of black gold. Ubu this morning, back to the wall.