In Venezuela, protests always go in pairs. On Tuesday March 10, several thousand opponents marched, at the call of the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, who heard "Reactivate the street" to force Nicolas Maduro at the start. In Caracas, protesters were quickly dispersed by riot police and tear gas. They were unable to reach the National Assembly in the city center as they intended. In red shirts and music, supporters of Nicolas Maduro demonstrated their support for the government and their loyalty to the memory of Hugo Chavez (1999-2013). The rally had been called by the authorities "In defense of national sovereignty, threatened by American aggression".
In both processions, the concern was evident. "The fall in oil prices is a tragedy for Venezuela", had called Mr. Guaido the day before. The country, which produced 3.2 million barrels per day twenty years ago, is producing only 883,000 today, according to OPEC figures. In six years, the GDP has dropped by 65%. The economic sanctions decreed by Washington aggravate the situation. Maduro said on Tuesday that no cases of coronavirus have yet been detected in Venezuela. But the dilapidated health service, the precariousness of the electricity network, the shortages of medical equipment and the malnutrition of a part of the population make fear, in the long term, a drama.
"They are trying to intimidate us with weapons of war. But we will achieve our goal, "Juan Guaido, self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela
Armored police vehicles were placed in the Chacaito neighborhood on Tuesday to prevent the opposition procession from advancing. "They are trying to intimidate us with weapons of war, yelled Mr. Guaido into a megaphone. But we will reach our goal. " The National Assembly has symbolic value for the opposition, which has had a majority there since 2015, but which has recently split up. On January 5, a dissident faction, supported by the government, won the presidency of the unicameral chamber. Since then, Mr. Guaido and members of his group have been routinely prevented from entering the Chamber by the police or groups of pro-government activists.
Modest demonstration
"Frankly, I didn't think there would be so many of us, rejoices Zulay G., a retiree back from the event who prefers to keep her name quiet, joined from Bogota. End of 2019, there was nobody there when Guaido called to demonstrate. His international tour put him back in the saddle. " On February 11, Mr. Guaido indeed left the country clandestinely for a tour of friendly capitals. He was received as Head of State in Bogota, the Davos Forum, London, Brussels, Paris and Washington. "It was phenomenal for us to see him alongside Donald Trump, it gave us hope", Zulay continues. But, she agrees, Tuesday's demonstration was modest compared to the great gatherings in the past.
