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‘US seeking to install stooge govt. in Venezuela’

Monday, 24 October 2016 11:38 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 24 October 2016 11:40 AM ]

Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demonstrate outside the National Assembly during an extraordinary session called by opposition leaders, in Caracas on October 23, 2016. (AFP photo)

The Venezuelan opposition has been leading a campaign to prosecute President Nicolas Maduro in a bid to end 17 years of socialist rule in the country. As part of the efforts, the National Assembly has accused President Maduro of violating democracy after the Electoral Council suspended a campaign for a recall referendum against him.

Talking to Press TV about the Latin American country's latest political developments, Ramin Vahidzadeh, an expert on Ibero-American affairs, said that Washington has been using different methods to get rid of the socialist government in Venezuela and replace it with a right-wing administration that would serve as its stooge.

He believes that the US has been pushing to promote right-wing tendencies as part of its agenda to dominate Latin America, previously known as America's backyard.

“When Mr. [Hugo] Chavez passed away, we saw the illegal meddling that the US Embassy had before the election and after the declaration of Mr. Maduro as president,” he noted.

He stated that the United States has used a sanctions regime against Venezuela as leverage to exert pressure on the country, with the eventual result of turning the Venezuelan people against President Maduro.

Vahidzadeh said that Venezuelan opposition figures are just “fighting for power” and are incapable of resolving the economic woes that would likely arise following the possible resignation of Maduro.

The analyst said that the Venezuelan economy, which is is dependent on oil exports, has been badly affected by the slump in oil prices; hence the government’s inability to meet the public demands.

The National Electoral Council put a stop to the opposition-driven plebiscite against Maduro after four state courts called the signature-gathering process fraudulent. The opposition now needs to collect signatures from 20 percent of all registered voters to set off the 2017 referendum.

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