Venezuela crisis puts influential military in spotlight

Record ID: 102694

  • Title: Venezuela crisis puts influential military in spotlight
  • Date: 20th May 2016
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (MAY 19, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ANALYST, ROCIO SAN MIGUEL, SAYING: "They have avoided there being any additional spokespersons in the National Armed Forces other than Vladimir Padrino, so that no cracks are seen as far as criticisms or observations, before the deep concerns throughout all sectors of the country, including the military sector."
  • Embargoed: 4th June 2016 21:50
  • Keywords: Venezuela military Nicolas Maduro crisis
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0054IM6VR7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL ORIGINALLY IN 4:3
    Venezuela's opaque but powerful military - a key power-broker in past unrest - is under increasing scrutiny as socialist President Nicolas Maduro squares off with an opposition coalition desperate for his departure amid a brutal economic crisis.
    With authorities looking unlikely to allow a referendum to recall Maduro this year, some opposition supporters are hoping factions of the armed forces may manoeuvre behind the scenes to promote a vote and avoid social unrest.
    The roughly 140,000-strong armed forces' current leader, General Vladimir Padrino, doubles as defence minister and sees his mission as protecting the "socialist fatherland."
    The forces have been holding exercises against what Maduro says are threats of a foreign invasion.
    "We do not rule out offensive operations when it is necessary, for the good of the people, and to preserve our independence and national sovereignty," Padrino on Thursday (May 19).
    According to local analyst Rocio San Miguel, Padrino has kept a monopoly on the forces' image.
    "They have avoided there being any additional spokespersons in the National Armed Forces other than Vladimir Padrino, so that no cracks are seen as far as criticisms or observations, before the deep concerns throughout all sectors of the country, including the military sector," said San Miguel.
    The president frequently appears at parades lavishly praising the military, has placed current or former members of the armed forces in about a third of ministerial posts, and even created an army-run oil services company this year.
    But as anger over worsening food shortages, power cuts and rampant inflation threatens to spill into mass unrest unless a political solution is found, the opposition are calling out to the army.
    According to San Miguel, many of these problems are reflected within the military itself.
    "At the heart of the Armed Forces is a problem of shortages, and there are definitely security problems, the rise in assassinations of officials of the Armed Forces has been evident in Venezuelan society, and we can say without shadow of doubt, that the National Armed Forces are a mirror to society. Simply, they cannot find a way to manifest themselves, because doing so would, without a doubt, represent a coup d'etat in Venezuela," said San Miguel.
    The opposition frequently accuses the military of being the corrupt, violent arm of a dictatorship - sweetened by lucrative business deals - and if in power would likely overhaul it.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register