Venezuelan opposition calls for strikes, Pres Maduro calls it failure

Latin America

Venezuela’s opposition on Friday called for a nationwide strike as it attempts to step up pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro, which last week abruptly halted a recall referendum, against the President.

Participation appears to have been patchy. Maduro called the strike a “failure” and thanked the Venezuelan people for not taking part.

CCTV America’s Stephen Gibbs reports from Caracas.

It was supposed to be a general strike. But for many Venezuelans Friday was a normal morning.

In Caracas, there was less traffic, and some businesses were shuttered up. But plenty here seemed confused as to what the plan was.

The real engine of Venezuela’s struggling economy is its oil industry. On Friday the state-owned giant PDVSA was reportedly unaffected by the strike. Major private companies, meanwhile, had been threatened by the government with expropriation if they took part.

Major private companies, meanwhile, had been threatened by the government with expropriation if they took part.