The Venezuelan Defense Minister has appealed to the opposition to abide by the rule of law. Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez appealed to citizens on Tuesday to exercise “prudence and good sense” following threats by conservative lawmakers in the National Assembly to impeach President Nicolas Maduro. Padrino reiterated the armed forces' commitment to protect the Constitution of Venezuela against any unlawful threat, and to defend Venezuelans against any attempt to destabilize the country and promote violence. He also reiterated his support for Maduro's government. “We urge Venezuelans to act according to the law and promote the dialogue between the government and the opposition, that has been always promoted by President Maduro in order to find a solution and together solve the problems of Venezuela,” Padrino said. After a weekend of tension, Venezuela's socialist government and right-wing opposition announced on Monday that they would sit down for formal talks mediated by the Vatican and other international agencies. However, staunch government opponents like Henrique Capriles have dismissed the dialogue and called for violence in the streets to overthrow Maduro. “We reject the incitements to violence by some opposition sectors who had even called for an international intervention in Venezuela, ignoring the despicable consequences that such things would bring – (like) chaos and anarchy,” Padrino said. Meanwhile, thousands poured into the streets of Caracas Tuesday to support Maduro and reject the opposition's attempt to overthrow him. Source URL |
