More Venezuela developments

Days after opposition leader Juan Guaidó proclaimed himself interim president amid social and economic chaos, Col Jose Luis Silva [Venezuela’s top military envoy to the United States] released a video on Saturday calling on other military officers to back the pretender.

[...]

“Today I speak to the people of Venezuela, and especially to my brothers in the armed forces of the nation, to recognize president Juan Guaidó as the only legitimate president,” Col Silva said in a video recorded at the embassy in Washington, seated at a desk alongside the Venezuelan flag.

[...]

“My message to the armed forces is, ‘Don’t mistreat your people.’ We were given arms to defend the sovereignty of our nation. They never, never trained us to say, ‘This is for you to attack your people, to defend the current government in power’.”

  The Guardian

The 2002 coup all over again? Top brass sided with the pretender to the presidency, but the rank and file stuck with Chávez. We'll see whether that happens again, as for now, the rank and file are reported to be backing Maduro. Maduro, however, is not Chávez, and may not engender the same loyalty.

Silva told Reuters that one consular official in Houston and one in another US city also recognized Guaidó, but that he was the only diplomat in Washington he knew of who had taken the step. Reuters was not able to independently confirm other defectors.

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Venezuela’s defense ministry called Silva a coward, posting a picture of him emblazoned with the word “traitor” across it in red capital letters.

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In a television interview earlier in the week, Guaidó appeared to dodge a question about whether he had met with Diosdado Cabello, a senior lawmaker and one of the most prominent figures in Maduro’s Socialist party.

They have since met.

A video the government says is evidence of the encounter showed Cabello and another top Maduro officials, Freddy Bernal, followed into a hotel by several well known opposition lawmakers along with a person wearing a baseball cap and gray hoody that the government says is Guaidó.

Diosdado Cabello was Vice President when Chávez was kidnapped and took over the position for the two days before his release. Freddy Bernal was also an official at that time.

If you haven't watched it, there is an award-winning documentary of those days filmed by an Irish crew who happened to be on the scene when the coup went down: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised can be viewed on YouTube.

Guaidó’s goal as he tries to consolidate his parallel government, which has international support but no control of the state, is to win over defectors by promising an amnesty policy that would let soldiers, police and civilians take part in public life after a transition, without punishment.

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“I’m ready, a message for Freddy and Diosdado, I said it yesterday and will repeat it today, everybody who wants to end the usurpation; government of transition and free elections, are welcome to discuss it.”

Except they already had a free election, and Maduro, however incompetent he may - or may not - be, won.

A fine mess.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.