Venezuela's incidents in 10 questions

By Tugrul Cam, Lokman Ilhan and Muhammed Emin Canik

ANKARA

Tensions escalated in Venezuela after opposition-led National Assembly's President Juan Guaido declared himself the president of the nation in a move against Nicolas Maduro, the elected president.

On Wednesday, the U.S. also recognized Guaido as interim president, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing feud between Washington and Venezuela’s Maduro.

Maduro slammed the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump and said his country was cutting off diplomatic relations with Washington, giving American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country.

The South American country of Venezuela, which has 32-million-population, has seen protests and economic troubles in recent years, and its relations with the U.S. has been tense since the former President Hugo Chavez and incumbent President Maduro’s terms.

In the oil-rich country, oppositions do not see Maduro’s win in the elections as legitimate and want a re-election, while they also receive support from Washington.

A summary of the situation in Venezuela is as follows:

What is the historical background of Venezuela-U.S. tension?

When Chavez, who adopted populist and socialist policies, was elected president in 1999, the relations started to sour with Washington.

Chavez focused on socialist policies with the revenues of the nationalized oil company of Venezuela, one of the world's most important oil producers.

Chavez drew criticism from the U.S. with his policies of selling oil to Cuba, developing good relations with Iran, procurement of arms from Russia, and nationalization of energy and telecommunications companies.

Before his death in 2013, Chavez nominated then Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his successor.

Maduro took the office after winning the elections and the relations with Washington remained tensed.

How did Maduro come to power?

Chavez's health deteriorated after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2011.

Chavez nominated Maduro -- who was at first a syndicate leader, then become foreign minister and later the vice president -- for presidency and handed some of his powers to him.

In the elections held in April following Chavez’s death in 2013, Maduro pledged to maintain Chavez’s unique socialist revolution and received 50.8 percent of the votes, which made him the new leader of the nation.

Maduro, also won the May 2018 presidential elections with 68 percent votes.

How did incidents start in Maduro’s term?

In 2014, demonstrations on security issues started in western cities of Tachira and Merida. The protests then spread out to the capital Caracas and turned into anti-government demonstrations.

The government forces -- who accused the opposition of the coup attempt -- intervened and resultantly 28 people lost their lives.

Citing the country’s economic situation as a reason, the opposition staged demonstrations again in September 2016. They called on Maduro to resign, whom they held responsible for the economic crisis.

In 2017, Venezuela was once again hit by the protests in April and June. Many people were killed during clashes between security forces and the protesters, who called for a snap election.

How did the economic crisis begin and turned into a political crisis in Maduro’s term?

Venezuelan economy started to suffer especially after the decline in oil prices in 2014.

The country, which earned 95 percent of its export income from oil sales, was troubled in terms of exports with the decline in oil prices.

The Venezuelan currency bolivar suffered extreme depreciation due to high inflation and prices of goods went up because of scarcity.

These developments were the main reason of the opposition protests.

Did Venezuela policy become tougher in Trump’s term?

Since Obama’s term, the U.S. sees Maduro as a "dictator" and imposed sanctions on the country.

It was revealed that the Trump administration officials secretly met Venezuelan oppositions many times since the fall of 2017, and discussed about “coup” together with some former commanders in the military.

Following the revelation, it was said that the U.S. administration, who has a past of supporting coups in many Latin American countries, “gave up” on a possible coup in Venezuela.

The reason for this is that even though many Latin American countries do not support Maduro but the U.S.-backed coup was likely to draw reactions in the region.

What is demand of the opposition in the country?

The Venezuelan opposition claims that Maduro has no legitimacy and wants him to leave the post.

The opposition levels allegations of rigging in the elections and calls for a snap election.

Guaido wants to lead the country until a new election is carries out.

How does Maduro respond to demands?

Maduro stresses that there is U.S.-supported coup attempt in his country. Maduro warns the opposition by saying: “Don’t trust the U.S. They don’t have friends, but interests. The U.S. have open claws for Venezuela’s oil and wealth.”

What is the stance of other Latin American countries?

Countries -- including the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Argentina, Costa Rica and Guatemala in American continent -- have openly supported Guaido’s interim presidency.

Bolivia and Mexico continue to support the Maduro government.

What is the reaction of the world countries?

European countries called for “political transition” and “re-election” in Venezuela.

The U.K., France, Germany, Denmark and Kosovo have announced support for Guaido.

China, Russia and Turkey, on the other hand, voiced support for Maduro.

What is approach of international media to the incidents?

The international media have given wide coverage to anti-government protests in Venezuela in the recent years. It mainly focused on the economic troubles in the country.

The news of Guaido’s self-declaration of being acting president was flashed in the international media.

The elected President Maduro and his supporters could not find much news coverage.