Venezuela Opposition Cracking; Guaidó Admits ‘Miscalculating’ Military Support for Coup Attempt

May 5, 2019 (EIRNS)—The Venezuelan opposition is now reportedly splintering, if in fact it was ever united, and plans for future unified action are in doubt. The crass Bolton-Pompeo-orchestrated April 30 attempt by “President” Juan Guaidó to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro by calling on the Venezuelan military to rise up and oust him, failed miserably and has disillusioned some sections of the opposition, as the Washington Post reports today.

After the April 30 fiasco, the Post writes that Guaidó may now be fighting a two-front battle: to oust Maduro and to keep the opposition united. A May 3 march he called to military bases fizzled, attracting far fewer people than he had hoped. People are exhausted and frustrated.

Admitting he “miscalculated” the degree of military support he could count on, and that he has to work harder to bring more soldiers to his camp, Guaidó nonetheless makes clear he considers there’s always the prospect of U.S. military intervention, proffering the caveat that it were best done in coordination with Venezuelan troops who have gone over to the opposition. Guaidó said he’d accept any such offer and take it to the National Assembly for approval.

Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, the mentor of Juan Guaidó, who is now holed up in the Spanish embassy in Caracas, told Spain’s EFE news service that any military intervention to oust Maduro is a valid and constitutional option.

Meanwhile, there are increasing international calls for the opposition to sit down for official talks with the Maduro government. Guaidó has refused, saying there can be no talks that don’t have as a precondition Maduro’s exit from government.