Venezuelan Right-Wing Leader Calls for Ousting of Government

Venezuelan right-wing opposition leader and former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles went on national television Wednesday calling on the population to take to the streets to demand a change of government.

Capriles, in an incendiary tone, said Venezuela has reached “the moment in which we have to change the government, the perfect moment to change the government, the perfect storm. That is the reality we are facing today.”

His remarks come after President Nicolas Maduro warned the opposition was planning a coup. 

“The strategy that they are carrying out aims to disrupt civilians and cause extreme situations, that is the key part of their efforts to destabilize the country … an economic coup is also underway in Venezuela,” Maduro told reporters during a tour to oil-producing countries in a bid to rise global oil prices which have fallen below US$40 per barrel.

Capriles called for people to protest in the streets earlier this week, and several incidents of violence have already been reported throughout the country. 

“Either this changes, or this will blow up (…) Either the government starts to respect the Constitution and starts to act, or we reach an unsustainable situation which no Venezuelan who loves his country – and we are the majority – won't take it,” he said. 

In his closing statements, Capriles again called for the ousting of President Maduro. “The ideal scenario would be to change the government, that would be the ideal situation," he added.

​President Maduro warned earlier Tuesday that the opposition was organizing an economic coup.

“This (shortages) is designed to unsettle the people and take them to extreme situations, that's the main aim to destabilize the country,” warned Maduro.

Shortages in certain consumer products, intentionally caused by right-wing sectors, are affecting the South American country. In fact, recent raids on distributing companies have confirmed that many of them are hoarding products. Their motive seems to be political and with the intention to destabilize the government, as many of the owners of the companies are linked to or active members of opposition parties.

Capriles insisted, at the end of the press conference, that the only way to change the situation was through organized action. 

“This model is unsustainable, it's over. It's time to take action,” he added. 

The right-wing former presidential candidate announced he was going to regroup the main opposition alliance, which recently called off a national strike due to underwhelming support.

“The Unity (referring to the opposition body the Democratic Unity Table), the main right-wing opposition alliance will renovate, it will be re-organized (…) I have a series of actions planned that I will propose to all the parties and leaderships in the next hours (…) here, whoever plays alone is ruined,” said Capriles.

Meanwhile, Vice President Jorge Arreaza explained that the new economic coup attempt is an alternative to the violent events which started in February 2014.

“What we are seeing coming from the right during the beginning of this year is an economic coup which we will defeat, just as we defeated the violent coup attempt the beginning of last year,” he said, speaking on public television.

Arreaza was referring to a wave of right-wing political violence in 2014 that left 43 people dead. The overwhelming majority were killed by clashes at deliberately deadly opposition barricades, and through opposition violence. Capriles himself faced accusations of links to a separate 2013 wave of violence after his defeated presidential bid. That violence left 13 government supporters dead after Capriles told supporters “to vent your anger” at his electoral loss.