Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro publicly commended the armed forces for maintaining loyalty during a period of political turmoil, accusing opposition leader Juan Guaidó and foreign entities of orchestrating a failed coup attempt.
The president's remarks followed widespread power outages attributed by his administration to "cyber attacks" by opposition groups. During a public gathering, Maduro labeled Guaidó a "clown and puppet" of U.S. interests, claiming military forces had rejected a coup plot.
Protest activity intensified in Caracas, where Guaidó supporters clashed with law enforcement. Police deployed riot gear and used pepper spray against demonstrators who shouted accusations of state violence. Meanwhile, Guaidó announced plans for nationwide rallies, urging citizens to unite in Caracas for mass protests.
Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, has been recognized as interim president by over 50 nations. Maduro, who assumed leadership after the 2013 death of Hugo Chávez, faces international criticism for Venezuela's economic collapse, including hyperinflation exceeding 800,000% and a humanitarian crisis that has displaced more than three million people.
