Long-running economic crisis in Venezuela has become even more desperate as the opposition organized nationwide protests nationwide Wednesday.
All hell has broken loose in the OPEC member state after the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday flatly rejected the conservative opposition’s demand for a recall election against him.
The Venezuelan opposition collected 1.85 million signatures demanding a recall election and this far exceeded the approximately 200,000 needed, which is approximately 1 percent of voters, to begin the recall process. The government rejecting the recall process is what prompted mass protests.
Riot police confronted protesters by using tear gas against them and getting into multiple scuffles. Violent protesters were particularly riled up by Maduro’s comment on the eve of the planned protests, that it was “just a matter of time” until he decided to “disappear” the country’s opposition-controlled National Assembly, the equivalent of Congress.
Instead of going ahead with the constitutionally recognized recall process, the Maduro regime has instituted a 60 day state of emergency. The state of emergency has been formulated in such a way, that it can be extend for another 60 days if the government deems it necessary.
If protests by the opposition are ultimately successful in triggering the start of the recall process, the next phase is to get 20% of Venezuelan voters, which is close to 4 million people, to sign yet another petition. At the moment, with no recall, Maduro’s term as president is set to end in 2019.
Politics had been at a tense standstill in Venezuela before Wednesday’s protests. Conservative opposition political parties won control of the country’s National Assembly in December 2015 elections and have governed as a coalition opposed to the socialist president. The December elections marked the first time that socialists would have to share power since their 17 years running Venezuela.
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