More protests as hopes for Pres. Maduro, opposition dialogue fade in Venezuela

World Today

More protests as hopes for Pres. Maduro, opposition dialogue fade in Venezuela

Thousands of Venezuelans have been marching in cities across the country in protest against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The demonstrations were called after the electoral commission stopped a recall referendum process designed to end the President’s term. Maduro has called for dialogue with the opposition.

CCTV America’s Stephen Gibbs reports from Caracas.

They called it the ‘taking of Venezuela’. That may reflect wishful thinking on the part of the opposition.

But many of the main roads of Caracas, usually full of rush hour traffic, were instead full of people hoping to bring this government down.

And the protests were not just in the city’s traditionally middle-class opposition heartlands. In the capital’s poorer western region, there are plenty of people equally angry.

One of the things the opposition has argued, which may be troubling for the government, is that many people taking part in this protest have not previously protested.

Venezuela’s opposition is a coalition with a common enemy – the president. However, it is not always unified on tactics.

This group was arguing about whether to march to the presidential palace. The decision on that is ‘not yet’ but the opposition is threatening to do so next week.

The current occupant of the palace said he isn’t planning to go anywhere until the next presidential elections which are not scheduled until 2018.

Nicolas Maduro is backing talks with the opposition, mediated by the Vatican. The opposition said that while talks are possible the government first needs to reinstate a recall referendum, which was stopped last week.