Venezuela’s opposition calls for more protests as crisis deepens ahead of vote

Record ID: 904556

  • Title: Venezuela’s opposition calls for more protests as crisis deepens ahead of vote
  • Date: 28th July 2017
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JULY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OPPOSITION LAWMAKER, FREDDY GUEVARA, SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) OPPOSITION LAWMAKER, FREDDY GUEVARA, SAYING: "We are the majority. We have the international community (on our side). We are right and we are not going to give up. That is why, people of Venezuela, we assure you we are going to win. And in this sense, we reiterate the call so that tomorrow, under the threat of Reverol - who isn't even a minister - we've gone on from taking over Caracas to taking over Venezuela so the whole country takes to the streets to reaffirm that we are not going to bow down and that we are going to fight." GENERAL OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) OPPOSITION LAWMAKER, FREDDY GUEVARA, SAYING: "Up until now, at no time have they said they are going to suspend the constituent process. That's the truth. We all wanted it, hopefully, but it isn't the reality. The regime, it appears its radical wing took control and they think this fraudulent constituent will do something, but we don't know what that will be." MORE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) OPPOSITION LAWMAKER, FREDDY GUEVARA, SAYING: "We unfortunately have a total of six murders in this go around, these past two days. Three Venezuelans died today as a result of the repressive violence." END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 11th August 2017 02:12
  • Keywords: opposition lawmaker Freddy Guevara Venezuela Nicolas Maduro constituent assembly
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016RMRO07
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Venezuela's opposition on Thursday (July 27) called for sustained protests to continue on Friday (July 28) despite a government call for an end to demonstrations and public gatherings ahead of an election on Sunday that critics contend will mark the end of democracy in the oil-rich country.
    Critics of President Nicolas Maduro were planning to pile more pressure on the unpopular leftist leader by holding a major protest dubbed 'The takeover of Venezuela' on Friday.
    Opposition lawmaker Freddy Guevara called on all Venezuelans to take to the streets despite the fact that Interior Minister Nestor Reverol had warned protests were banned from Friday to Tuesday.
    The election for the Constituent Assembly is slated for Sunday (July 30) the body would have power to rewrite the constitution and shut down the existing opposition-led legislature, which the opposition maintains would cement dictatorship in Venezuela.
    At least 108 people have died in anti-government unrest convulsing Venezuela since April, when the opposition launched protests demanding free and fair elections to end nearly two decades of socialist rule.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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