Protests In Venezuela Continue As Maduro Criticized By Ally

Protests In Venezuela Continue As Maduro Criticized By Ally

As reports of repression by police and shortage of basic essential continue to increase, protests in Venezuela have persisted. This comes as a political ally of President Nicolas Maduro publicly criticized the Venezuelan leader.

Governor Jose Vielma Mora of Tachira indicated on a recent radio interview that the military was excessive when they responded to the upheaval.

Vielma Mora is a longtime supporter of the late Hugo Chavez. The former army officer focused on the over flights by fighter jets and recommended a change within the military command. He added that he was sympathetic to the complaints of food shortages by the protestors.

The criticisms of the governor demonstrated the decrease in public and political support inherited by Maduro from Chavez. The scarcity index increased to 28 percent, which gives an indication of a shortage in the supply of basic household and food products.

The nationwide protests in Venezuela started in Tachira following the rape of a university student inside a San Cristobal campus. A protest was organized by some students to demand for additional security as crime rates in Venezuela increased recently.

A number of makeshift barricades have blocked numerous streets in Caracas.

Among the dead in San Cristobal included a man who fell from the balcony of his second floor apartment after getting shot by the National Guard using rubber bullets. Local hospital officials revealed that the man died due to hear injuries.

A high level meeting with the governors and mayors of the country was called by Maduro. The meeting, which required the officials to attend, is set to find ways in reducing apprehensions. However, Henrique Capriles, an opposition leader and Miranda state governor, did not attend the meeting.

A five-day holiday was declared by Maduro in an effort to reduce the tension that resulted from protests in Venezuela starting on the anniversary of the riots in 1989.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday February 26 2014, 3:47 AM EST. Ref: LA Times. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0