Politics
Guaido’s High-Risk Gamble Flops as Maduro Keeps Grip on Military
- Opposition calls president’s rule finished, but it isn’t
- Armed forces leaders stick firmly by regime, put down riots
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It was a ploy that from its outset felt like a long shot. Before dawn Tuesday, Juan Guaido, flanked by his political mentor Leopoldo Lopez and a handful of soldiers who had broken ranks, issued a message to Venezuela and the world: The time to topple Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian regime was right now.
By Wednesday morning, with Maduro still firmly in control of the military command, Lopez had sought refuge at the Spanish embassy and the streets of the capital were quiet, long empty of the protesters who had heeded Guaido’s call to join what he called Operation Liberty.