Military, Cabinet support Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela - The military and Cabinet expressed their continued support for President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, a day after the United States announced sanctions against him.

The sanctions were in retaliation for defying the White House by refusing to cancel elections for a National Constituent Assembly, or ANC, to rewrite the Constitution.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez affirmed that the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, or FANB, remained loyal to the president.

"The FANB ... ratifies its unconditional support and loyalty to our commander in chief, and reiterates its historic commitment to defend national sovereignty and independence," Padrino said.

According to the electoral authorities, more than 8 million Venezuelans went to the polls on Sunday to elect the members of the ANC.

"We ask for respect for these Venezuelans, because by sanctioning President Nicolas Maduro, they are sanctioning the more than 8 million Venezuelans who went out to vote against all odds," said Padrino.

The White House initially threatened to slap economic sanctions against Venezuela if the vote went ahead. But President Donald Trump settled on personal sanctions against Maduro.

The measure was just the latest display of US "intervention" in Venezuela's domestic affairs, said Padrino.

Venezuela's Council of Ministers issued a statement read by Vice-President Tareck El Aissami to "categorically (reject) the intended sanctions" against Maduro.

"This unacceptable threat... is a serious aggression (against the Venezuelan people) aimed at silencing the voice of free peoples and their popularly elected leaders," said El Aissami.

Opposition leaders

Meanwhile, two courts on Tuesday revoked the house arrest of two opposition leaders, saying they were planning to flee the country and had violated terms of their house arrest by making political statements and speaking to the media.

Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma were charged with "plans to flee" and "failing to comply" with the conditions of their house arrest, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information.

The Fifth and Sixth Courts for the Caracas Metropolitan Area handed down the decision "once they had verified the failure to comply with the conditions that were set for them to remain under house arrest."

The men were taken from their homes in the early hours of the day to the Ramo Verde Penitentiary in northern Miranda state.

Xinhua

(China Daily 08/03/2017 page11)