Venezuelan President Maduro urges supporters to mobilise in support of Bolivian leftist
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for his supporters to ‘mobilise’ in support of Bolivia’s ex-president, and fellow leftist, Evo Morales.
Bolivia’s military pressured Morales to step down on November 10 amid irregularities in the October 20 election.
Maduro is hoping to capitalise on the recent resurgence of left-wing governments in countries like Mexico and Argentina to dampen Venezuelan support for opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido, who has led a year-long campaign, backed by 50 countries, to oust Maduro. Maduro’s call for demonstrations today reflects this strategy, as he tries to portray himself as a leader attempting to replicate the success of the ‘pink tide’—the political movement that brought leftist governments to power across Latin America in the early 2000s.
Despite Argentina and Mexico returning to left-wing governments, and ongoing protests in Chile and Ecuador over income inequality and redistribution, it is unlikely that the pink tide is resurfacing. Maduro also remains on the periphery, as Latin American leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned his regime. Furthermore, while some countries have pivoted to the left, others, like Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Brazil, have pivoted to the right.
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