Two processions pounded the pavement in Caracas, Saturday, February 12, without crossing each other. Thousands of government supporters gathered to celebrate World Youth Day, an important annual event in Venezuela, and show their support for President Nicolas Maduro.
Some 500 people had gathered to demonstrate with the opposition to the authoritarian regime currently in power.
show of strength
Drums, salsa, Venezuelan flags, the Chavistas (named after Hugo Chavez, a figure of the Latin American radical left and late predecessor of Mr. Maduro) performed a kind of show of force in the streets of the capital. The power had mobilized its party and chartered buses to bring in activists from all regions of the country. “Chavez sets the tone, Maduro is behind the wheel”could we read in particular on a banner.
The re-election of Nicolas Maduro to the presidency of Venezuela in 2018 is not recognized by part of the international community and in particular the United States which seeks to oust from power the one they describe as “dictator”. In November 2021, the International Criminal Court in The Hague opened an investigation into possible crimes against humanity committed under Nicolas Maduro.
Lack of “respect for the rule of law”
Not far from there, some 500 opponents, including opposition leader Juan Guaido, gathered for a shorter parade. Guaido, who had proclaimed himself interim president of the country in an attempt to oust President Nicolas Maduro and had been confirmed in this post for one year at the beginning of January by the National Assembly, without power, gave a speech calling in particular for “unity” of the opposition. He also promised to relaunch the street protests, which had shaken power in 2019 but which ended up running out of steam: “We are going to return (…) to the place where freedoms are exercised: the street”.
The November regional elections, in which the divided opposition was defeated, were marred by “lack of judicial independence and respect for the rule of law” in Venezuela, according to the organization Human Rights Watch, which in January published a report on fundamental freedoms in South America.