Author: Nick Sblano
Co-Authors: Carly Janelle Fant, Yaisy Tejada, Leith Kusmider
In Venezuela there has been many citizens who oppose Nicolas Maduro, who came into power in April of 2013. The group that is responsible for a recent protest against him is the Opposition (Rosati 2017). The opposition is anti-government (Ellsworth 2017).
The protest took place on October 26th where the Opposition blocked streets and claimed “We won’t take no for an answer” (Brocchetto 2016). In light of the recall vote being halted, claiming there was voter identify fraud.
Students protesting until the Venezuelan government meets their demands. Photo taken by Juan Barreto on October 26th.
As the protester began to meet up in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas and a major highway Maduro slams the Opposition and says “Dialogue is necessary, accusing the opposition of steering clear of talks for nefarious reasons”(Brocchetto 2016).
Protesters are against the idea of having talks claiming that “talks only make sense if the Venezuelan government will listen and respond to the opposition’s demands” (Brocchetto 2016).
An Opposition deputy struggles to hold back a pro-government supporter who is trying to force himself into the National Assembly. Photo taken by Juan Barreto on October 23rd.
With this said timing is going to play a major factor. If there’s a recall vote to oust Maduro this year, there would be new elections. But if the vote happens in 2017, the vice president would take the reins. If there’s no recall vote, Maduro’s presidential term is set to end in 2019 (Brocchetto 2016).
Hyperlink: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/26/americas/venezuela-protests/
Factoid Questions
Why are the protesters against having talks?
What is the major factor that is going to play a crucial role in the recall vote?
References
Ellsworth, Brian. “Venezuela Opposition Parties Fear Election Ban as Socialists Dig in” (2017). Reuters. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.
Marilia Brocchetto, Flora Charner, Hernandez, Osmary, and Catherine E. Shoichet. “Venezuela Protests: Officer Killed, Dozens Reported Injured” (2016). CNN Cable News Network. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Rosati, Andrew. “Venezuela Opposition Regroups to Renew Effort to Unseat President Maduro” (2017). Bloomberg LP. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.