State of Emergency in Venezuela

by Stephen Lendman

Fearing an imminent US-manipulated Brazilian-style coup, President Nicolas Maduro extended a state of emergency over what he called a domestic and US “onslaught of the oligarchy.”

An earlier state of exception along Venezuela’s border with Colombia was declared to prevent paramilitary death squad attacks.

A “coup virus” returned to Latin America, Maduro explained, extending a renewable state of emergency for 60 days. “Washington…activat(ed) measures” to topple his government “at the request of Venezuela’s fascist (opposition)…emboldened by the coup in Brazil,” he stressed.

An economic state of emergency was declared in January. Maduro issued 21 constitutionally permitted decrees “to protect the people and socio-economic stability of the country.”

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was tainted by corruption and scandal, as well as close links to his country’s drug cartels and paramilitary death squads.

On Friday, he called for violently overthrowing Venezuela’s democratically elected government. He and other former Latin American fascist rulers denounced what they called “economic, social and governance deterioration” in Venezuela.

They shamelessly accused Maduro of politically persecuting opposition National Assembly members and leaders.

Events in Venezuela are eerily similar to US-instigated coup plots in other Latin American countries.

Washington wants fascist rule replacing democratic governance and Bolivarian fairness. The fate of Venezuela’s sovereign independence and its population is up for grabs.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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