‘We must be vigilant & united’: Bolivia's president emerges in support of Maduro

Bolivia's president has come out in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after opposition chief Juan Guaido claimed he had military support in his “final phase” of ousting the country's elected leader.

Maduro retweeted a note of support from President Evo Morales on Tuesday morning. Morales wrote on Twitter: “We strongly condemn the coup attempt in #Venezuela, by the right wing that is submissive to foreign interests. Sure that the courageous Bolivarian Revolution at the head of the brother @NicolasMaduro, will be imposed on this new attack of the empire.”

He pointed a finger at the Guaido-supporting US in a second tweet, writing: “The United States with its interference and promoting coups seeks to provoke violence and death in #Venezuela, it does not care about human losses, only its interests. We must be vigilant and united so that the coup plotters never return to our region.”

Morales has been vocal in his opposition to US interference in Venezuelan politics, previously calling aid sent by the country a “Trojan horse to invade and provoke a war.” Bolivia is not the only Latin American country that has stood by Maduro in the ongoing struggle for primacy. Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay and Nicaragua have remained firm in their recognition of Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader.

Colombia's president, Ivan Duque Marquez, joined Morales in his criticism of the "coup", tweeting: "We call the military and the people of #Venezuela to be on the right side of history, rejecting dictatorship and usurpation of Maduro; uniting in search of freedom, democracy and institutional reconstruction, headed by @AsambleaVE and the President @jguaido"

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned countries supporting Maduro there would be consequences to their actions, and pointed at recent tourism sanctions levied on Cuba as an example.

Guaido has argued that Maduro's 2018 reelection was illegitimate, and in recent weeks has stepped up pressure on Maduro to resign. In response, Maduro's government has stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and barred him from leaving the country.

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