Maduro’s son calls on supporters to demonstrate while opposition considers arrest of Maduro an important but not enough
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s son called on supporters to take to the streets on Sunday and demonstrate after he was arrested by the United States, and crowds responded to his call at noon in Caracas.
Nicolás Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolásito” (Nicolás the Younger), a deputy, said in an audio message broadcast on social media: “You will see us in the streets, you will see us with this people, you will see us raising the flags of dignity”.
Maduro’s son, who is among six people charged by the US judiciary with “drug-related terrorism,” said Maduro’s son, along with his father and stepmother, said: “They want to see us weak, but they won’t see us as weak”.
“They won’t succeed… I swear by my life, I swear by my father, I swear by Cecilia [Maduro’s wife], we will get out of this ordeal”.
“I am determined… We’re determined, and my family is determined, and strong”.
After the United States launched strikes on boats it accuses of transporting drugs near Venezuela, the United States on Saturday carried out a large-scale military operation in the country in which it kidnapped Nicolás Maduro, 63, and his wife, Celia Flores, 69.
“History will reveal who the traitors are, history will reveal the truth,” Maduro’s son said, referring to reports that a spy in Maduro’s inner circle may have facilitated his arrest.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday appointed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president and was recognized by the military on Sunday.
Edmundo González Urrutia, who the opposition says is the winner of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, said on Sunday that the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro was an important but not enough step to return the country to normal.
“This moment represents an important step, but it’s not enough,” he said in a video from his exile in Spain, saying that the country’s return to normalcy will only be possible when all Venezuelans deprived of their liberty for political reasons are released… When the majority opinion expressed by the Venezuelan people on July 28 is respected.
