WATCH a Colombian proclaim himself 'interim president' in Guaido parody

27 Feb, 2019 04:16 / Updated 5 years ago

A man donning a replica of the Colombian presidential band copied Venezuelan oppositional leader Juan Guaido as he proclaimed himself the interim president of Colombia in protest of the US-backed coup next door.

A video by RT America's Dan Cohen showing Colombian Alejandro Muñoz, described as a social researcher, artist, and writer, being sworn in as Colombia's interim president in a public square, has gone viral on Twitter.

Muñoz was protesting a meeting of the Lima Group in Bogota on Monday, attended by US Vice President Mike Pence and the leader of Venezuelan opposition, self-proclaimed 'interim president' Juan Guaido.

Cheered on by fellow activists, Muñoz wasted no time upon taking on his new 'role', shaking hands with a policeman and acting all presidential by issuing a bunch of new orders.

His first one, Muñoz said, would be "to declare peace."

"Yes to peace, no to war, no more drug trafficking, no more neoliberalism," he shouted from his impromptu tribune with a Colombian tricolor flag waving behind him.

As part of his peace-fostering agenda, Muñoz said he would arrange for the US government to "take its military bases from this country."

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The US military currently has about 200 troops stationed in Colombia. Last month, Bogota was forced to deny that its territory might be used by Washington for a potential Venezuela invasion after US National Security Advisor John Bolton flashed a notepad reading "5,000 troops to Colombia."

In a jab at Guaido and US officials urging the Venezuelan military to desert Maduro, Muñoz tweeted that he would grant amnesty to all Colombian military if they pledge allegiance to him.

Taking a swipe at US-backed humanitarian aid convoys, denounced by Caracas as a decoy to mask preparations for an invasion, Muñoz announced the "first drug shipment" to the US, since it's the "biggest consumer of drugs in the world."

Speaking at the UNSC on Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said that trucks supposedly carrying humanitarian supplies to Venezuela were loaded with nails and wire that could be used to build barricades.

At the earlier meeting in Bogota, Pence hailed the "courageous" Guaido for standing up to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and pledged full US support for his quest to oust Maduro and gain recognition as the legitimate leader of the Latin American nation worldwide. Pence reiterated that the US keeps "all options on the table" in its effort to remove Maduro from power.

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