Q & A: Keys to Understanding the Failed Coup Attempt in Venezuela
Granma offers a recap of the April 30 coup attempt by the U.S. backed opposition to the legitimate government of Nicolas Maduro
Granma International news staff | informacion@granma.cu
May 7, 2019 14:05:37
1. WHO WAS BEHIND THE COUP PLOT?
Juan Guaidó, the “self-proclaimed” president of Venezuela, apparently intended to assume the role his White House masters have assigned him on April 30, as the latest puppet in the all-out U.S. war against the government of Nicolás Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.
In what he called the final phase of Operation Freedom, Guaidó began the day inciting violence on Twitter, while helping opposition leader Leopoldo López escape house arrest, calling on the people and military to take to the streets and challenge the legitimate government.
While the coup attempt was underway, the international corporate media magnified the events again and again. Donald Trump tweeted that he was “monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely,” and that the U.S. stood with the people of Venezuela and their “Freedom.”
For his part, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sent a message to Guaidó expressing his full support.
As Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza stated, “Pence assumes his role as head of the attempted coup. In the name of God he calls for violence, destruction, and death. Is that being a good Christian? The People of Venezuela and their Bolivarian Armed Forces guarantee peace and respect for the Constitution.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a bit too hasty in celebrating “the beginning of Operation Freedom,” Arreaza pointed out, noting that Pompeo makes a cruel joke of diplomacy in promoting and financing a violent coup in Venezuela.
“Washington’s obsession with controlling Venezuela’s oil resources leads them from one blunder to another. They underestimate the people of Simón Bolívar,” he added.
Luis Almagro, the infamous Secretary General of the OAS, was not to be left behind, publishing a message saluting the “adhesion of the military to the Constitution and to the interim President of Venezuela, Guaidó,” and calling for “full support for the process of democratic transition in a peaceful manner.”
These individuals are the most visible faces supporting the April 30 coup attempt, along with Marco Rubio, but behind them stands an empire that neither can or cares to forgive the government of Nicolás Maduro and the Chavista Revolution for maintaining its determination, resistance, and dignity in the face of ignominy and irrationality, faced with the tremendous challenge of never surrendering.
Also openly supporting the unconstitutional coup attempt in Venezuela were Presidents Mauricio Macri of Argentina, Ivan Duque of Colombia, and Sebastian Piñera of Chile.
2. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT THE CARLOTA AIRBASE?
The provocative acts of violence that occurred around La Carlota reached great proportions only in the right wing media, which reported a much greater number of soldiers as being involved than actually was the case.
“This is a military base, you must respect the entrances,” Bolivarian soldiers told the demonstrators, who pushed down a fence and threw Molotov cocktails. Meanwhile, soldiers who had hijacked armored vehicles were convinced via dialogue to desist, and some reported that they had been tricked by the opposition.
According to teleSUR, these individuals said that they had been called to attend an “unforgettable” decoration ceremony, but were later directed to carry out “the final solution” – getting rid of Nicolás Maduro.
After hours of operations by armed civilians and military coup plotters, the opposition plan was clearly losing steam, while the firm, but cautious behavior of Bolivarian forces prevented serious violence.
At the end of the day, it was reported that several officers involved in the coup plot had sought asylum in the Chilean and Brazilian embassies in Caracas.
3. HOW DID THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE REACT?
Chants of “A victory for the people!” and “Always loyal, traitors never!” were repeated time and again by the people of Caracas gathered around Miraflores Presidential Palace to support the Bolivarian government, beginning early in the morning, as soon as news of the events was reported.
Once the U.S.-backed coup was defeated, thousands more headed to Miraflores to reaffirm their support to the constitutional government and denounce the latest attempt to use violence to achieve regime change.
4. INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY OR INTERVENTIONISM?
Given the deplorable acts, international solidarity was not long in coming, with reiterated condemnations of the violence, destabilization plans, and disrespect for the Bolivarian Republic’s institutions.
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) issued a statement denouncing attempts to violate the constitutional order in Venezuela, warning of the consequences for the entire region of such actions, and calling on the peoples of Our America to defend the Greater Homeland’s sovereignty and self-determination.
Bolivian President Evo Morales condemned the opposition’s violence, tweeting, “We strongly denounce the attempted coup d’état in Venezuela, on the part of the right which is subordinated to foreign interests, certain that the courageous Bolivarian Revolution led by brother Nicolás Maduro will successfully turn back the empire’s latest attack.”
Nicaragua’s Government of National Reconciliation and Unity condemned the attack on the Venezuelanpeople’s right to peace and constitutional order, while
Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico, called for “a peaceful solution” to the crisis and reiterated the importance of dialogue, recalling Mexico and Uruguay’s proposed Montevideo Mechanism.
For his part, French socialist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon noted that the coup attempt was promoted by a “small minority group of military officers, under the direction of the puppet Juan Guaidó, self-proclaimed president.”
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated in a message that his country “supports a solution to Venezuela’s problems based on dialogue,” and opposes “anti-democratic attempts to change legitimate governments.”
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement emphasizing that the crisis facing Venezuela must be resolved through negotiations.
“The radical opposition in Venezuela has again resorted to violent, confrontational methods,” the statement reads, adding that violence and public disorders must be renounced, “to avoid bloodshed.”
The government of Uruguay likewise expressed its concern and condemnation of violence and the use of force as means of resolving conflicts, adding that the country will continue directing its efforts toward promoting regional and international dialogue, to contribute to a peaceful solution through negotiations.
5. ON WHAT BASIS ISNICOLÁS MADURO THE LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA?
During Maduro’s two terms in office, eight elections have been held: Presidential elections in 2013, when he was first elected; a legislative vote in 2015, when the opposition won a majority; elections for members of the National Constituent Assembly in 2017; regional elections this same year, when Chavistas won governorships in 18 of the country’s 23 states; 2014 municipal elections in San Diego and San Cristóbal (Táchira state) to replace two mayors convicted for inciting violence during protests that year; municipal votes in 2017 to elect mayors and the governor of Zulia state; municipal elections again in 2018, to elect 2,459 members of city councils; and the Presidential elections of 2018 in which Nicolás Maduro was re-elected.
He won the Presidential vote on May 20, 2018, with 67% of the vote, in a race which violent sectors of the opposition attempted to sabotage, refusing to participate.
January 10, 2019, Nicolás Maduro Moros was sworn in by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) for a second Presidential term (2019-2025), thus defeating attempts by the U.S. and their allies to prevent his recognition as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state.
Social and political movements, youth, workers, students, campesinos, and international bodies around the world reiterated their support for the re-elected President and his constitutional project.
Granma International news staff | informacion@granma.cu
May 7, 2019 14:05:37
1. WHO WAS BEHIND THE COUP PLOT?
Juan Guaidó, the “self-proclaimed” president of Venezuela, apparently intended to assume the role his White House masters have assigned him on April 30, as the latest puppet in the all-out U.S. war against the government of Nicolás Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.
In what he called the final phase of Operation Freedom, Guaidó began the day inciting violence on Twitter, while helping opposition leader Leopoldo López escape house arrest, calling on the people and military to take to the streets and challenge the legitimate government.
While the coup attempt was underway, the international corporate media magnified the events again and again. Donald Trump tweeted that he was “monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely,” and that the U.S. stood with the people of Venezuela and their “Freedom.”
For his part, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sent a message to Guaidó expressing his full support.
As Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza stated, “Pence assumes his role as head of the attempted coup. In the name of God he calls for violence, destruction, and death. Is that being a good Christian? The People of Venezuela and their Bolivarian Armed Forces guarantee peace and respect for the Constitution.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a bit too hasty in celebrating “the beginning of Operation Freedom,” Arreaza pointed out, noting that Pompeo makes a cruel joke of diplomacy in promoting and financing a violent coup in Venezuela.
“Washington’s obsession with controlling Venezuela’s oil resources leads them from one blunder to another. They underestimate the people of Simón Bolívar,” he added.
Luis Almagro, the infamous Secretary General of the OAS, was not to be left behind, publishing a message saluting the “adhesion of the military to the Constitution and to the interim President of Venezuela, Guaidó,” and calling for “full support for the process of democratic transition in a peaceful manner.”
These individuals are the most visible faces supporting the April 30 coup attempt, along with Marco Rubio, but behind them stands an empire that neither can or cares to forgive the government of Nicolás Maduro and the Chavista Revolution for maintaining its determination, resistance, and dignity in the face of ignominy and irrationality, faced with the tremendous challenge of never surrendering.
Also openly supporting the unconstitutional coup attempt in Venezuela were Presidents Mauricio Macri of Argentina, Ivan Duque of Colombia, and Sebastian Piñera of Chile.
2. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT THE CARLOTA AIRBASE?
The provocative acts of violence that occurred around La Carlota reached great proportions only in the right wing media, which reported a much greater number of soldiers as being involved than actually was the case.
“This is a military base, you must respect the entrances,” Bolivarian soldiers told the demonstrators, who pushed down a fence and threw Molotov cocktails. Meanwhile, soldiers who had hijacked armored vehicles were convinced via dialogue to desist, and some reported that they had been tricked by the opposition.
According to teleSUR, these individuals said that they had been called to attend an “unforgettable” decoration ceremony, but were later directed to carry out “the final solution” – getting rid of Nicolás Maduro.
After hours of operations by armed civilians and military coup plotters, the opposition plan was clearly losing steam, while the firm, but cautious behavior of Bolivarian forces prevented serious violence.
At the end of the day, it was reported that several officers involved in the coup plot had sought asylum in the Chilean and Brazilian embassies in Caracas.
3. HOW DID THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE REACT?
Chants of “A victory for the people!” and “Always loyal, traitors never!” were repeated time and again by the people of Caracas gathered around Miraflores Presidential Palace to support the Bolivarian government, beginning early in the morning, as soon as news of the events was reported.
Once the U.S.-backed coup was defeated, thousands more headed to Miraflores to reaffirm their support to the constitutional government and denounce the latest attempt to use violence to achieve regime change.
4. INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY OR INTERVENTIONISM?
Given the deplorable acts, international solidarity was not long in coming, with reiterated condemnations of the violence, destabilization plans, and disrespect for the Bolivarian Republic’s institutions.
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) issued a statement denouncing attempts to violate the constitutional order in Venezuela, warning of the consequences for the entire region of such actions, and calling on the peoples of Our America to defend the Greater Homeland’s sovereignty and self-determination.
Bolivian President Evo Morales condemned the opposition’s violence, tweeting, “We strongly denounce the attempted coup d’état in Venezuela, on the part of the right which is subordinated to foreign interests, certain that the courageous Bolivarian Revolution led by brother Nicolás Maduro will successfully turn back the empire’s latest attack.”
Nicaragua’s Government of National Reconciliation and Unity condemned the attack on the Venezuelanpeople’s right to peace and constitutional order, while
Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico, called for “a peaceful solution” to the crisis and reiterated the importance of dialogue, recalling Mexico and Uruguay’s proposed Montevideo Mechanism.
For his part, French socialist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon noted that the coup attempt was promoted by a “small minority group of military officers, under the direction of the puppet Juan Guaidó, self-proclaimed president.”
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated in a message that his country “supports a solution to Venezuela’s problems based on dialogue,” and opposes “anti-democratic attempts to change legitimate governments.”
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement emphasizing that the crisis facing Venezuela must be resolved through negotiations.
“The radical opposition in Venezuela has again resorted to violent, confrontational methods,” the statement reads, adding that violence and public disorders must be renounced, “to avoid bloodshed.”
The government of Uruguay likewise expressed its concern and condemnation of violence and the use of force as means of resolving conflicts, adding that the country will continue directing its efforts toward promoting regional and international dialogue, to contribute to a peaceful solution through negotiations.
5. ON WHAT BASIS ISNICOLÁS MADURO THE LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA?
During Maduro’s two terms in office, eight elections have been held: Presidential elections in 2013, when he was first elected; a legislative vote in 2015, when the opposition won a majority; elections for members of the National Constituent Assembly in 2017; regional elections this same year, when Chavistas won governorships in 18 of the country’s 23 states; 2014 municipal elections in San Diego and San Cristóbal (Táchira state) to replace two mayors convicted for inciting violence during protests that year; municipal votes in 2017 to elect mayors and the governor of Zulia state; municipal elections again in 2018, to elect 2,459 members of city councils; and the Presidential elections of 2018 in which Nicolás Maduro was re-elected.
He won the Presidential vote on May 20, 2018, with 67% of the vote, in a race which violent sectors of the opposition attempted to sabotage, refusing to participate.
January 10, 2019, Nicolás Maduro Moros was sworn in by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) for a second Presidential term (2019-2025), thus defeating attempts by the U.S. and their allies to prevent his recognition as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state.
Social and political movements, youth, workers, students, campesinos, and international bodies around the world reiterated their support for the re-elected President and his constitutional project.
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