Venezuelan opposition accuses government supporters of impeding conference at hospital

Record ID: 163694

  • Title: Venezuelan opposition accuses government supporters of impeding conference at hospital
  • Date: 10th January 2017
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JANUARY 10, 2017) (REUTERS) A MEMBER OF A CHAVISTA COLLECTIVE WAVING A VENEZUELAN FLAG IN FRONT OF JOSE MARIA VARGAS MEDICAL SCHOOL SIGN OUTSIDE JOSE MARIA VARGAS MEDICAL SCHOOL OF THE CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF VENEZUELA MEMBERS OF A CHAVISTA COLLECTIVE AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE MEDICAL SCHOOL MEMBER OF A CHAVISTA COLLECTIVE SPEAKING THROUGH A MEGAPHONE TO THOSE PRESENT PRO-MADURO T-SHIRT WITH FORMER PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ'S SIGNATURE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULIO BORGES, ARRIVING AT A PUBLIC SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULIO BORGES, SAYING: "The Assembly's directive took the decision to come out for the first time to speak about the issue of health. Unfortunately, it is incredible, but in the drama of Venezuelan health care which the people are living through, violent people went today, sent by the government and with government impunity, to forcefully impede us from listening to the people." VARIOUS OF BORGES DURING NEWS CONFERENCE IN PUBLIC SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULIO BORGES, SAYING: "We insist, we want to vote, that the constitution is respected, that we can vote." OPPOSITION POLITICIANS HOLDING THEIR HANDS IN THE AIR IN PROTEST VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS IN FRONT OF MEDICAL SCHOOL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEMBER OF CHAVISTA COLLECTIVE, JORGE NAVA, SAYING: "We are in the vicinity of the Jose Maria Vargas Hospital, unravelling the lies of (opposition) politician, Jose Manuel Olivares, across social networks. He said that (Chavista collectives) destroyed the forum where (the opposition) was planning to hold a session today, street parliamentarianism, which was intended for nothing other than to come and generate violence, to provoke, to perturb patients' health, and today, we - the social movements, revolutionary collectives - all we want is to guarantee that there is no violence." OPPOSITION POLITICIANS DRIVING THROUGH THE STREETS OPPOSITION POLITICIAN LOOKING THROUGH CAR WINDOW MEMBERS OF CHAVISTA COLLECTIVES ON MOTORBIKES THREATENING OPPOSITION POLITICIANS AS THEY ARRIVE IN CARS AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BORGES GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE OUTSIDE THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
  • Embargoed: 24th January 2017 22:12
  • Keywords: Venezuela opposition Nicolas Maduro Julio Borges hospital
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015YI1PAB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: On Tuesday (January 10), Venezuelan opposition politicians faced government supporters, who they said impeded them from holding a news conference about the state of the failing health care system outside a central hospital.
    Members of a collective inspired by late former president Hugo Chavez, and supporters of the socialist President Nicolas Maduro, gathered outside the Jose Maria Vargas Medical School, where opposition politicians had planned to hold a conference.
    The opposition, led by National Assembly President Jorge Borges, moved the conference to a public square.
    "The Assembly's directive took the decision to come out for the first time to speak about the issue of health. Unfortunately, it is incredible, but in the drama of Venezuelan health care which the people are living through, violent people went today, sent by the government and with government impunity, to forcefully impede us from listening to the people," said Borges.
    The opposition approved a resolution in the National Assembly on Monday declaring that Maduro had "abandoned his post" and failed to perform the basic duties of governing the country. Opposition lawmakers have been calling for a recall referendum that would lead to a new presidential election.
    "We insist, we want to vote, that the constitution is respected, that we can vote," Borges said at the public square.
    A member of the Chavista collective, Jorge Nava, said the group of government supporters had gathered outside the hospital to prevent violence.
    "We are in the vicinity of the Jose Maria Vargas Hospital, unravelling the lies of (opposition) politician, Jose Manuel Olivares, across social networks. He said that (Chavista collectives) destroyed the forum where (the opposition) was planning to hold a session today, street parliamentarianism, which was intended for nothing other than to come and generate violence, to provoke, to perturb patients' health, and today, we - the social movements, revolutionary collectives - all we want is to guarantee that there is no violence," said Nava.
    Venezuelan government supporters called on the Supreme Court on Tuesday to nullify the opposition's resolution. The Supreme Court urged the opposition to pursue dialogue as a means of resolving differences.
    Though a recall referendum is still legally possible this year, a new presidential election is unlikely to happen as any successful recall vote will result only in Maduro being replaced by his vice president without new elections, according to the Venezuelan constitution.
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