THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE A
BY MARINA LOPES
sao paulo — A group of support-
ers of Venezuelan opposition lead-
er Juan Guaidó seized the Venezu-
elan Embassy in Brasilia early
Wednesday, claiming its employ-
ees defected and voluntarily let
them.
But Freddy Meregote, the em-
bassy chargé d’affaires represent-
ing the government of embattled
President Nicolás Maduro, said
that the staff remains loyal to
Maduro and that Guaidó support-
ers forced their way in.
“We need help and immediate
activation of all social movements
and political parties,” Meregote
said in audio messages sent to
leaders in Brazil’s National Con-
gress.
Outside the embassy, a small
crowd of Maduro supporters and
members of Brazil’s leftist Work-
ers’ Party protested.
The confrontation occurred as
the leaders of Brazil, China, Rus-
sia, India and South Africa arrived
in Brasilia for a summit to discuss
the instability in Venezuela,
among other issues.
Brazilian police surrounded
the embassy but did not enter. The
standoff ended shortly after
5 p.m., as a group of at least 14
Guaidó supporters left the embas-
sy under escort by police and
members of the Brazilian Foreign
Ministry. They had occupied the
facility for more than 12 hours.
The socialist Maduro, successor
of the late Venezuelan president
Hugo Chávez, claimed victory last
year in elections widely viewed as
fraudulent. Venezuela’s opposi-
tion-controlled National Assem-
bly declared Maduro a usurper
and installed Guaidó as the coun-
try’s rightful leader until free and
fair elections can be held.
The United States, Brazil and
some 50 other countries recognize
Guaidó as Venezuela’s president;
China, Russia and others back Ma-
duro.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister
Jorge Arreaza denounced the “as-
sault committed by violent
groups” on its diplomatic mission
“before the passive attitude of the
Brazilian police authorities in in-
attention to their obligations.” In a
statement, Arreaza demanded
that Brazil “immediately take thenecessary measures” to remove
the “aggressors.”
The Brazilian government said
President Jair Bolsonaro had no
advance notice of the action by the
Guaidó supporters.
“As always, there are unscrupu-
lous and lightweight individuals
who want to take advantage of
events to create disorder and in-
stability,” the institutional securi-
ty office of the presidency said in a
statement. “The president of the
republic was never aware and
much less encouraged the inva-
sion of the Venezuelan Embassy.”
The office said local and nation-
al security forces were “ensuring
that the situation is resolved
peacefully and that there is a re-
turn to normalcy.”
Guaidó appointed María Teresa
Belandria as his ambassador to
Brazil in February, and she was
recognized by Bolsonaro’s govern-
ment in June. But she had not
taken over the country’s official
embassy, which is still staffed with
Maduro loyalists. On Wednesday
morning, she urged that staff to
join their cause.
“We value the recognition of the
legitimate government of Presi-
dent Guaidó and ask that all offi-
cials in the embassy and in the
seven Venezuelan consulates
adopt this same attitude and join
their colleagues to work for all
Venezuelans residing in Brazil,”
Belandria said in a statement.
Bolsonaro’s son, lawmaker Ed-
uardo Bolsonaro, tweeted his sup-
port for the occupation. He said
Belandria, whom Brazil has recog-
nized as ambassador, should be
seated at the embassy.
“It seems to me that what is
being done is right and just,” wrote
the younger Bolsonaro, a member
of the Chamber of Deputies.
Paulo Pimenta, head of the
Workers’ Party in Brazil’s lower
house, called the attack a coordi-
nated effort between a militia and
the Brazilian government.
“These men are uninformed
and are clearly not representa-
tives of the people or of the diplo-
matic corps,” he said in a video
outside the embassy posted on
Twitter.
Guaidó’s supporters took over
the Venezuelan Embassy in Wash-
ington in April.
[email protected]Guaidó supporters take
over embassy in Brazil
BY RACHELLE KRYGIERBolivia’s former president Evo
Morales rejected the self-
proclaimed presidency of an op-
position senator Wednesday, but
police barred his lawmakers from
entering the legislature to undo
it, deepening the political crisis in
South America’s poorest country.
Supporters of Morales re-
turned to the streets and clashed
with security forces; police re-
sponded with tear gas.
Bolivia has been without con-
sensus on a leader since the resig-
nations Sunday of Morales, his
vice president, and the heads of
the Senate and Chamber of Depu-
ties, all socialist members of Mo-
rales’s MAS party.
Jeanine Añez, the second vice
president of the Bolivian Senate
and a Morales critic, attempted to
convene the upper house Tuesday
to name an interim president and
discuss a path toward new elec-
tions. Other opposition leaders
urged support for Añez.
But MAS lawmakers, who still
hold majorities in the legislature,
boycotted the session. In the ab-
sence of a quorum, Añez declared
herself president of the Senate,
which effectively made her inter-
im president of the country.
Bolivian media outlets called
the event “surprising” and “unex-
pected.” But Bolivia’s constitu-
tional tribunal quickly released a
statement saying it was constitu-
tional, the heads of the military
and national police declared their
support, and a senior U.S. State
Department official recognized
Añez as “Interim Constitutional
President.”
Morales, speaking from Mexi-
co on Wednesday, said Añez’s
swearing-in had “confirmed the
coup.” He said he would be willing
to return to Bolivia to restore
peace.
“The only way to solve this is a
national dialogue,” he told report-
ers. “I ask the Bolivian people to
end confrontations.”
Añez began work Wednesday
at the presidential palace, meet-
ing with military and police com-
manders. She insisted that her
mandate was “strictly tempo-
rary” and that her only objective
was to call elections as soon as
possible. Under the Bolivian con-
stitution, new elections must be
held within 90 days of Morales’s
resignation.
Opposition leaders lifted the
general strike that had paralyzed
the country’s largest cities for
more than 20 days. Businesses
began to reopen, and transporta-
tion services resumed. Most
schools remained closed.
MAS lawmakers, who hold ma-
jorities in the Senate and Cham-
ber of Deputies, tried to meet
Wednesday afternoon to “nullify”
Añez’s “self-proclamation,” Depu-
ty Ruben Chambi said. But police
blocked them from entering the
legislative complex in La Paz.
“We are parliamentarians. We
need to get to our office. We have
meetings,” said Adriana Salvati-
erra, who resigned as Senate pres-
ident Sunday but said she re-
mains a senator. “We need to
recover normality.”
Omar Aguilar, another MAS
lawmaker, told reporters that “it
all points to the desire to closedown the legislative assembly”
and challenged Añez to admit it
publicly.
Morales claimed a first-round
victory in the Bolivian elections
last month after early returns
suggested the race would go to a
second round. As opposition sup-
porters protested, he invited the
Organization of American States,
a U.N.-like body for the Western
Hemisphere, to audit the results.
In a preliminary report re-
leased early Sunday, the OAS said
it had found “manipulation” in
the vote count. Morales agreed to
dismiss election officials and hold
new elections, but protests grew,
military and police commanders
withdrew their support, and by
midafternoon he had resigned.
He fled Monday for asylum in
Mexico.
Opposition supporters cele-
brated Añez’s move late Tuesday
with fireworks and chants.“I congratulate the new Consti-
tutional President of Bolivia,”
tweeted former president Carlos
Mesa, who finished second to
Morales in the disputed Oct. 20
vote. “All success in the challenge
you face. Long live the country!”
“It was all worth it,” added
opposition leader Luis Fernando
Camacho.
Michael G. Kozak, the acting
assistant secretary of state for
Western Hemisphere affairs who
also recognized Añez as interim
leader, tweeted, “We look forward
to working with [Añez] & Boliv-
ia’s other civilian authorities as
they arrange free & fair elections
as soon as possible, in accordance
w/ Bolivia’s constitution.”
Añez, 52, a lawyer from the
northeastern department of Beni,
started her political career in
2006 as a member of a constitu-
ent assembly established to re-
write the constitution. She was
elected to the Senate in 2010 and
reelected in 2014.
Morales supporters protested
her declaration.
“We strongly reject the self-
proclamation of Señora Añez,”
Andrónico Rodríguez, vice presi-
dent of a coca growers federation,
told reporters. “It’s completely
unconstitutional.”
The State Department raised
its travel advisory for Bolivia to
Level 4: Do Not Travel, and or-
dered the departure of non-
emergency U.S. government em-
ployees and family members
from Bolivia “due to ongoing po-
litical instability.”
Jorge Dulon, a political scien-
tist based in La Paz, said the path
to new elections will be challeng-
ing.
“I’m worried that if the opposi-
tion fails to establish a dialogue
with pro-Morales politicians, the
uncertainty might be prolonged,
and we won’t have elections in the
stipulated timing,” he said. “I’m
also worried that social move-
ments could generate violence.”
Dulon said Morales might be
looking to block solutions and
eventually return to pacify the
country as a hero — the path
taken in 2002 by Venezuela’s
then-president, Hugo Chávez, a
Morales ally who was ousted by
the opposition for two days and
then returned to the presidency
stronger than ever.
[email protected]Bolivia’s Morales rejects interim head
CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/REUTERS
Jeanine Añez, who proclaimed herself Bolivia’s interim president
Tuesday, reads a statement at the presidential palace in La Paz.@POSTLIVE #POSTLIVE
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