Venezuela on Friday launched what it called its biggest-ever military exercises as unpopular President Nicolas Maduro sought to display his grip on power amid an economic meltdown and a push to vote him out of office.
The two days of drills were aimed at showing his leftist government's readiness to confront any internal or foreign threat.
They were especially intended as a warning to the United States, which last year designated Venezuela a danger to its national security, and which Maduro blames for most of the ills he is facing.
Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30MK2 strike jets and other aircraft flew over various parts of Venezuela at the start of the drills, state television showed. Tanks and troops were also shown.
The president this week imposed a 60-day state of emergency giving extra powers to police and soldiers.
But for many Venezuelans, whose daily life now involves waiting for hours to buy scarce food and basic goods, the maneuvers and state of emergency were irrelevant.
"It doesn't matter to me," said Michael Leal, a 34-year-old store manager in Chacao, a middle-class Caracas neighborhood dotted with shuttered shopfronts.
He blamed the government, not external forces, for the parlous state of Venezuela's economy -- decimated by recession and hyperinflation, and made worse by severe electricity rationing.
"We can't breathe," Leal told AFP.
- Push for recall vote -
He and many others have signed a petition demanding a recall referendum to oust Maduro, heir to the late Hugo Chavez's "socialist revolution."
The opposition says 1.8 million signatures were collected and accuses electoral authorities of stalling in validating the petition.
Protest marches were held Wednesday across the country to press for the vote. The one in Caracas was blocked by police firing tear gas.
Maduro says the petition is filled with fraudulent signatures.
"This referendum aims to generate conditions to stir up the streets and justify a coup d'etat or a foreign intervention," he told supporters on Thursday.
He claimed it had "very little support."
Yet 70 percent of Venezuelans want a change of government, according to recent polls.
"We need the opportunity of a new government," said Kevin Jaimes, a 21-year-old auto parts salesman lining up with 200 people outside a pharmacy in the hope of purchasing subsidized hygiene products.
There have been some reports of looting in Venezuela in recent weeks. On Thursday, residents of the central city of Valencia said shops were pillaged, but that was not confirmed by authorities.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles told the BBC that if rank-and-file soldiers stopped following Maduro, there would be a "military uprising," but added: "I don't want to say if the odds are high or low."
- Mediation bid -
Late Thursday, the Supreme Court declared Maduro's state of emergency decree constitutional, overruling the opposition-controlled congress, which had voted this week to reject it.
A trio of foreign mediators -- former leaders of Spain, Panama and the Dominican Republic -- are in Caracas striving to arrange a dialogue between the government and the opposition to ease the political strife.
But their leader, former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, warned the path would be "a long, hard and difficult" one, with no guarantee of success.
Launched Thursday, the process already appeared stymied by intransigence on both sides over the recall referendum.
Chile, Argentina and Uruguay appealed Friday for an "effective political dialogue" to take hold.
A statement signed by the countries' foreign ministers said: "Venezuela's problems should be resolved by the Venezuelans themselves, in keeping with their institutions and observing its international commitments to the full protection of human rights and individual liberties."
For now, Maduro's government was focusing on flexing its military muscle.
"This exercise should not cause any alarm in the country," Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said.
He explained that Venezuela faced threats from domestic and foreign sources that seek to "undermine the revolution."
Some 160,000 servicemen and women were taking part, joined by around 350,000 reservists and members of pro-government militias, Padrino Lopez said, calling the size of the war games "unprecedented."
A political analyst, Benigno Alarcon, said the government's brandishing the threat of foreign intervention was "a good way to show that it has armed muscle" and "create fear in the people."
Venezuela on Friday launched what it called its biggest-ever military exercises as unpopular President Nicolas Maduro sought to display his grip on power amid an economic meltdown and a push to vote him out of office.
The two days of drills were aimed at showing his leftist government’s readiness to confront any internal or foreign threat.
They were especially intended as a warning to the United States, which last year designated Venezuela a danger to its national security, and which Maduro blames for most of the ills he is facing.
Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30MK2 strike jets and other aircraft flew over various parts of Venezuela at the start of the drills, state television showed. Tanks and troops were also shown.
The president this week imposed a 60-day state of emergency giving extra powers to police and soldiers.
But for many Venezuelans, whose daily life now involves waiting for hours to buy scarce food and basic goods, the maneuvers and state of emergency were irrelevant.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” said Michael Leal, a 34-year-old store manager in Chacao, a middle-class Caracas neighborhood dotted with shuttered shopfronts.
He blamed the government, not external forces, for the parlous state of Venezuela’s economy — decimated by recession and hyperinflation, and made worse by severe electricity rationing.
“We can’t breathe,” Leal told AFP.
– Push for recall vote –
He and many others have signed a petition demanding a recall referendum to oust Maduro, heir to the late Hugo Chavez’s “socialist revolution.”
The opposition says 1.8 million signatures were collected and accuses electoral authorities of stalling in validating the petition.
Protest marches were held Wednesday across the country to press for the vote. The one in Caracas was blocked by police firing tear gas.
Maduro says the petition is filled with fraudulent signatures.
“This referendum aims to generate conditions to stir up the streets and justify a coup d’etat or a foreign intervention,” he told supporters on Thursday.
He claimed it had “very little support.”
Yet 70 percent of Venezuelans want a change of government, according to recent polls.
“We need the opportunity of a new government,” said Kevin Jaimes, a 21-year-old auto parts salesman lining up with 200 people outside a pharmacy in the hope of purchasing subsidized hygiene products.
There have been some reports of looting in Venezuela in recent weeks. On Thursday, residents of the central city of Valencia said shops were pillaged, but that was not confirmed by authorities.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles told the BBC that if rank-and-file soldiers stopped following Maduro, there would be a “military uprising,” but added: “I don’t want to say if the odds are high or low.”
– Mediation bid –
Late Thursday, the Supreme Court declared Maduro’s state of emergency decree constitutional, overruling the opposition-controlled congress, which had voted this week to reject it.
A trio of foreign mediators — former leaders of Spain, Panama and the Dominican Republic — are in Caracas striving to arrange a dialogue between the government and the opposition to ease the political strife.
But their leader, former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, warned the path would be “a long, hard and difficult” one, with no guarantee of success.
Launched Thursday, the process already appeared stymied by intransigence on both sides over the recall referendum.
Chile, Argentina and Uruguay appealed Friday for an “effective political dialogue” to take hold.
A statement signed by the countries’ foreign ministers said: “Venezuela’s problems should be resolved by the Venezuelans themselves, in keeping with their institutions and observing its international commitments to the full protection of human rights and individual liberties.”
For now, Maduro’s government was focusing on flexing its military muscle.
“This exercise should not cause any alarm in the country,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said.
He explained that Venezuela faced threats from domestic and foreign sources that seek to “undermine the revolution.”
Some 160,000 servicemen and women were taking part, joined by around 350,000 reservists and members of pro-government militias, Padrino Lopez said, calling the size of the war games “unprecedented.”
A political analyst, Benigno Alarcon, said the government’s brandishing the threat of foreign intervention was “a good way to show that it has armed muscle” and “create fear in the people.”
