Opposition leaders in Venezuela have called protesters to the streets for what they hope will be one of Venezuela’s largest marches on Wednesday, a national holiday marking the beginning of the struggle for Venezuela to gain independence from Spain.
President Nicolas Maduro and his supporters have called for a countermarch on the same day. Maduro also deployed the Venezuelan armed forces to the street on Sunday night, where they will stay for the duration of the marches.
Ahead of the protests, here is what you need to know.
Why are they protesting?
In short, the opposition says Maduro has created a dictatorship in the last few years. The government has repeatedly blocked any attempts by the opposition to oust Maduro from power by a referendum vote. It has also delayed local and state elections.
The last election held in Venezuela, the parliamentary election of 2015, gave the opposition a majority. Critics say any elections since have been delayed because Maduro is afraid of the outcome.
Then, on March 29, the Venezuelan Supreme Court dissolved the Parliament, transferring all legislative powers to itself. By doing away with the opposition-controlled legislative branch, the move effectively meant the remaining two branches of Venezuelan government were controlled by the ruling United Socialist Party. The opposition was outraged and called the move a coup. The decision was reversed three days later, but by that time protests had already erupted.
The protests have been bloody. Six people have died and countless others, many journalists, have been injured.
The opposition call became even stronger when, on April 7, the government notified main opposition leader Henrique Capriles that he had been banned from doing any political work for 15 years. The 44-year-old governor, who has run for president twice, said the government was again acting like a dictatorship.
What is Maduro’s response?
Maduro, 54, is defiant. Instead of taking steps to reduce tensions with the opposition, he has taken a confrontational tone with members of the opposition and protesters, whom he calls “vandals and terrorists.”
“We’re after and will capture the very last of the attackers,” Maduro said Saturday on national TV. “You all know that I don’t fool around. When I go after criminals, I get them and I will capture all of these criminals who are getting their orders from the right-wingers.”
In a show of force on Monday, Maduro paraded the streets of Caracas surrounded by men and women in uniform. The military has also vowed its full support to Maduro.
Why oust Maduro?
Venezuela is in crisis, and while there is no simple solution to Venezuela’s woes, the opposition argues it can fix the country’s failing economy.
Venezuela’s food shortages have become extremely severe in the last couple of years. Venezuelans have endured weeks, in some cases months, without basics like milk, eggs, flour, soap and toilet paper.
When there is food and water on the shelves, prices are so high that few Venezuelans can afford it. Many have taken to eating out of the trash.
Medicine remains in short supply, too. Venezuelans hunt for penicillin and other remedies at pharmacies everywhere, often without success. The country’s public hospitals have fallen apart, causing people, including infants, to die because of the scarcity of basic medical care.
Venezuela recently asked the United Nations for help to relieve serious shortages of medicines in the country.
What about Venezuela’s neighbors?
US President Donald Trump has publicly not said much about the crisis in Venezuela. In the infant days of his presidency, he tweeted a photo of himself with Lilian Tintori, the wife of opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez. In the tweet, Trump called for Venezuela to release its political prisoners. A US state department official has said that they are concerned with the state of Venezuela’s democracy and that the country should continue to talk to the opposition as well as hold elections as soon as possible.
The Organization of American States recently tried to declare Venezuela in violation of its democratic charter, but was denied the necessary votes by Caribbean and Central American Nations that have depended for years on cheap Venezuelan oil. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, an Uruguayan, routinely calls Venezuela a dictatorship.
In March, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy RodrÃguez called Almagro a liar, dishonest and a criminal mercenary at the OAS.
The region seems split in its support for Maduro’s government. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay on Monday signed a joint statement asking for the Venezuelan government “to guarantee the right to peaceful demonstration,” and avoid violence against protesters. They have also urged the government to call for elections, which would help end the crisis in the country.
Even the Vatican has gotten involved in the Venezuela crisis. Pope Francis sent an envoy to Caracas to mediate talks between the opposition and the government in 2016. While those talks failed, Pope Francis says he is willing to meet with the opposing parties to help solve the conflict.
