BRASILIA: Brazil鈥檚 far-right President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he would do all he could to 鈥渢o re-establish order and democracy鈥� in Venezuela, while his foreign minister met with Venezuelan opposition leaders.
The right-wing government of Bolsonaro on Saturday said it recognized Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan opposition leader who is head of the congress, as the rightful president of Venezuela 鈥� even though Guaido himself has not proclaimed himself president.
Socialist President Nicolas Maduro began a new term last week under a cloud of international criticism by governments around the world, who have described him as an illegitimate leader whose policies have plunged Venezuela into its worst ever economic crisis.
鈥淲e will continue doing everything possible to re-establish order, democracy and freedom there,鈥� Bolsonaro said in a video, in which he stood next to the head of the opposition-appointed Supreme Court in exile, Miguel Angel Martin.
鈥淲e asked the people of Venezuela to resist and have faith, because I believe a solution is coming soon,鈥� Bolsonaro said in the video issued by his office.
Guaido, a lawmaker from the hard-line Popular Will opposition party, said last week he was prepared to assume the presidency on an interim basis and call elections, but would only do so with support of the armed forces.
Since taking office Jan. 1, Bolsonaro has stepped up criticism of Maduro鈥檚 government, the United States鈥� biggest ideological foe in Latin America.
Also at the meeting was a representative for Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organization of American States who has said Venezuela should be suspended from the regional forum.
Bolsonaro鈥檚 foreign minister Ernesto Araujo spent the morning huddled with a group of Venezuelan opposition leaders, led by the exiled former mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, to analyze the situation and Guaido鈥檚 readiness to take over as acting president, a Brazilian foreign ministry statement said.
Venezuela鈥檚 Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The meeting also discussed ideas for 鈥渃oncrete action鈥� to re-establish democracy in Venezuela, the statement said, without giving further details.
The opposition leaders said 300,000 people were starving and more than 11,000 newborn babies were dying each year due to the lack of medicine in what they called a 鈥渟ilent genocide perpetrated by the Maduro dictatorship,鈥� the statement said.
Maduro, who says that a US-directed 鈥渆conomic war鈥� is trying to force him from power, has so far had consistent support from the armed forces at home.
Brazil鈥檚 Bolsonaro pledges action to 鈥榬estore democracy鈥� in Venezuela
-
{{#bullets}}
- {{value}} {{/bullets}}