Caracas – The fight for control of Venezuela intensified on Wednesday as the government pushed a probe that may lead to the arrest of opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido who called for new street protests.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court imposed a travel ban on Guaido and froze his bank accounts in apparent retaliation for oil sanctions imposed by the U.S. that are expected to severely hit the OPEC member’s already collapsing economy.
Guaido is recognised as president by the U.S. and most Western Hemisphere nations, presenting the biggest challenge to President Nicolas Maduro’s six-year rule.
The 35-year-old opposition lawmaker, who is president of the National Assembly, wants new elections, arguing that Maduro fraudulently won a second term in 2018.
Guaido is offering an amnesty to tempt military officials to join him.
Maduro, who accused Guaido of staging a U.S.-directed coup against him, still has the support of the top military brass, and is unlikely to back down unless that changes.
Russia and China are also key benefactors, giving him backing at the UN Security Council.
Russia’s RIA news agency reported that Maduro rejected calls for a snap presidential election as blackmail and reiterated he was ready for talks with the opposition and possible third country mediation.
“There are several governments, organisations globally, which are demonstrating their sincere concern about what is happening in Venezuela, they have called for a dialogue,” RIA quoted Maduro as saying.
Given the failure of previous rounds of dialogue, including one led by the Vatican, opponents are suspicious, believing Maduro uses them to quell protests and buy time.
With the Venezuela crisis deepening a geopolitical showdown between Washington and Moscow across various global flashpoints, Maduro also expressed “pleasure and gratitude” for Putin’s help.
Russia has loaned and invested billions of dollars in Venezuela, and sources told Reuters private military contractors who do secret missions for Moscow were in Venezuela.
A former union leader who succeeded his charismatic mentor, the late President Hugo Chavez, Maduro, 56, has overseen a shrinking economy and the migration of more than three million Venezuelans fleeing food and drug shortages and hyperinflation.