Mutiny attempt tests Maduro’s grip on power

Bloomberg

It was still dark, but Venezuela’s army had already smothered a mutiny and turned to tear-gassing protesters supporting the rebels. The loyalist Supreme Court announced that it would depose the National Assembly’s head and nullify its motion
declaring President Nicolas Maduro’s rule invalid. Then, Brazil’s president predicted a speedy regime change.
Governing this hungry and restive nation has become a balancing act for Maduro, who faces a litany of threats, any one of which could break his grip on power. Foes at home and abroad have rallied behind the opposition’s fresh-faced leader, assembly president Juan Guaido, who’s calling on world leaders and the military to recognise him as the rightful head of state.
Open protest meetings and spontaneous rebellions are building, and the opposition is calling for countrywide demonstrations against the Socialist autocracy.
“The government is acting quickly to avoid anything that could lead to a chain reaction,’’ said Marco Antonio Ponce, the director of the Venezuelan Social Conflict Observatory, a Caracas non-profit. “Protests are only going to continue.”

Gunfire in Darkness
Maduro has tried to insulate himself as his country, once South America’s richest, spiralled into dysfunction and misery: He won a six-year term last in year in an election widely viewed as fraudulent, he has jailed and exiled dissidents, and he has created a so-called Constitutional Assembly that is politically omnipotent. But his regime remains vigilant for any spark that could kindle his country into flame.
One was stamped out before dawn on Monday. About two dozen national guardsmen raided Caracas military outposts, stealing weapons and holding other soldiers captive before gathering in a fort near the city center.
Videos posted on social media show guardsmen arguing with their hostages about why they wouldn’t break ranks given the state of the country, while others called on civilians to rise up.
“Didn’t you want the military to take the streets and light the fuse?’’ a guardsmen who identified himself as Sergeant Luis Bandres said. “We’re lighting it here.’’

Loyalty Tests
Speaking on state television, Diosdado Cabello, the head of the Constitutional Assembly, told reporters that counter security forces quashed the rebellion, detaining 27 people — including Bandres — and recovering the looted arms.
Investigations are underway across the armed forces to root out dissidents and the government “has no fears about taking the actions that need to be done,’’ he said.
In 2017, Maduro, the 56-year-old successor to the late Hugo Chavez, relied on security forces to beat back a wave of anti-government demonstrations resulting in more than 120 deaths. Demonstrations may now be less visible, but they’re more frequent.