With thousands of supporters gathered in the streets of Venezuela, Juan Guaido defied government threats and returned home Monday, in a spectacle that analysts say…
With thousands of supporters gathered in the streets of Venezuela, Juan Guaido defied government threats and returned home Monday, in a spectacle that analysts say could mark a major turning point in the global push to install the young opposition leader as his country’s rightful president and oust incumbent socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.
Mr. Guaido, who could face arrest or even worse at the hands of the regime, told demonstrators that they must “continue mobilizing” until Mr. Maduro steps down. At the same time, the Trump administration again tried to put its finger on the scale by threatening retaliation if Mr. Maduro or anyone in his government harms Mr. Guaido and his family, or mounts a violent crackdown on protesters.
The tough talk from the U. S. and dozens of other nations — all of which have recognized Mr. Guaido, not Mr. Maduro, as Venezuela’s president — served as the backdrop for Mr. Guaido’s defiant return to the country Monday. Over the past week, he had ignored a travel ban imposed by the Maduro government and traveled to Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and elsewhere across the continent as he rallied support behind his effort to drive Mr. Maduro from power.
After being greeted at an airport outside Caracas by top diplomats from the U. S., Germany and elsewhere, Mr. Guaido made his way into the city. He climbed atop scaffolding and brandished his passport as he addressed the throngs of supporters he had urged to gather in protest of the Maduro government.
“We know the risks that we face.
