Fading fast and unable to gain momentum, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó got a much-needed boost last week from President Biden after it was announced the U.S. will continue to recognize him as the country’s rightful president, Reuters reported.
Guaidó has suffered a string of political losses since President Trump anointed him the president of Venezuela in 2019 when Nicholas Maduro was poised to be sworn in as President.
At the time, the Trump administration launched the propaganda campaign branding Maduro’s victory as “heavily rigged,” “fraudulent,” “a sham,” “a joke” and “a disgrace,” and that Guaidó was the country’s interim leader. Following Washington, 60 countries had recognized Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
As we reported, the elections in the country were regarded as among those closely monitored and legitimate. Several international monitoring organizations observed the elections and affirmed their fairness.
Unable to gain traction and following failed attempts to gain military support to overthrow Maduro, Guaidó sunk low in opinion polls over the past year.
Now, the European Union, which once recognized Guaidó as President, recently dismissed him, referring to him in a letter as merely a “political actor” instead of the country’s interim president.
Despite the EU’s letter, the Trump administration continued to treat Guaidó and his National Assembly as “the only democratic representatives of the Venezuelan people as recognized by the international community.”
Regime Change 2021?
Antony Blinken, Biden’s nominee to head the state department, told the U.S. Senate last week that Biden will continue to pressure Maduro through sanctions.
“We need an effective policy that can restore Venezuela to democracy, starting with free and fair elections,” Blinken said.
TREND FORECAST: “Restore Venezuela to democracy” equals regime change.
Despite Guaidó’s failing efforts to mobilize support among Venezuelans, we continue to forecast that the United States will continue its efforts to overthrow the Maduro government and install Guaidó as president.
And, how duplicitous: “Free and fair elections”? Last week, at the swearing-in of its new president at the hall of its “democracy” in Washington, D.C., some 30,000 military troops locked it down. No visitors were allowed.
Why? It was in response to the 6 January protests when around a million people swarmed the city, and rioters stormed the Capitol building in protest of what they claimed were not “free and fair elections.”
