Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said on January 24, he has decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the United States, as the USA President Donald Trump recognized the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president.
According to news reported by CNBC, Maduro told the US to “get out” from the country and gave all American diplomats 72 hours to leave Venezuela. At the Miraflores Presidential palace, Maduro told his supporters on Wednesday, “Before the people and nations of the world, and as constitutional president … I’ve decided to break diplomatic and political relations with US.”
Maduro added, “Get out! Leave Venezuela. We have our dignity dammit!”
The president’s announcement comes after a raging protest in the South American country, where protesters demanded fresh elections to be held.
Maduro was quoted by CNN as saying, “The imperial government of the United States is leading a coup attempt against us in order to install a puppet presidency that they can control Venezuela.”
The opposition leader Guaido called for a nationwide protest on Wednesday on a symbolic date for the country. Around 61 years back on this date, military and civil uprising in Venezuela had overthrown former Venezuelan dictator general Marcos Perez Jimenez.
The economic failure in the country has strengthened an anti-Maduro sentiment across the South American region with the opposition accusing Maduro of “usurping power.”
Supporting Guaido, in a Twitter post on Wednesday, Trump wrote: “The citizen of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I have officially recognized the president of the Venezuela National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela.”
The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I have officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela. https://t.co/WItWPiG9jK
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2019
Like the USA, Colombia also extended their support for Guaido with the US urging other “western hemisphere governments” to recognize Guaido as the president of Venezuela.