‘ATTEMPTED COUP’: Venezuelan military may have switched sides

JUAN GUAIDO, the Venezuelan politician who declared himself interim president of the country in January, says he is in the ‘final phase’ of deposing recognised president Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido has appeared in a video alongside uniformed men, claiming he had the support of the military and urging Venezuelans to take to the streets to help end Maduro’s rule.

In the three-minute video, the politician appears alongside another opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, who has been under house arrest since 2014.

Leopoldo can be heard to state he has been freed by members of the military who have declared allegiance to Guaido.

Venezuela’s military, who have generally backed Maduro in the struggle for power between the two men, but it appears their loyalty may have changed.

Internationally, Juan Guaido has the backing of many countries, including the United States and much of Western Europe and Latin America.

Nicolas Maduro’s rule since 2013 has come under heavy criticism amid power outages throughout 70 per cent of Venezuela, inflation hitting almost 1,000,000 per cent, and his refusal to allow foreign aid to be brought into the country to help those affected.

The Venezuelan government has responded to Guaido’s latest video by saying it will put down his attempts to take power.