{"id":2316233,"date":"2024-07-30T18:34:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T22:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuelan-military-high-command-throws-support-behind-maduro-as-loyalty-of-military-brought-into-question-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-30T18:41:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T22:41:03","slug":"venezuelan-military-high-command-throws-support-behind-maduro-as-loyalty-of-military-brought-into-question-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuelan-military-high-command-throws-support-behind-maduro-as-loyalty-of-military-brought-into-question-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan military high command throws support behind Maduro as loyalty of military brought into question &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvenezuelan-military-high-command-throws-support-behind-maduro-as-loyalty-of-military-brought-into-question-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316233&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Venezuelan military leadership has publicly\u200b declared its unwavering support\u200b for President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro \u200damid growing tensions and electoral disputes within the country. Following a contentious election, where Maduro was announced as the winner\u2014a claim challenged by his opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez\u200d Urrutia\u2014mass \u200dprotests \u200derupted, leading\u2062 to violent confrontations with police. Reports surfaced of\u200b military personnel appearing sympathetic to the demonstrators, with \u2062some seemingly willing to \u2064defect.<\/p>\n<p>In response to these developments, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez\u2064 emphasized\u2064 the military&#8217;s commitment to \u200cMaduro, asserting that they would thwart any coup attempts against his regime. However, contradictory footage on social media showed military and police officers mingling with protesters instead of maintaining \u2063order, leading to further questions\u200d about their \u200cloyalty.<\/p>\n<p>As the situation evolves,\u2064 there\u2062 is a\u2062 clear divide within the military, with some units appearing to join the protestors, while others maintain their allegiance to the government. \u2064Videos from the protests depict a \u200ctense atmosphere, with \u2063both military force \u200band cooperating factions\u2064 clashing with demonstrators, intensifying the demand for drastic change in the country.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Venezuelan military high command throws support behind Maduro as loyalty of military brought into question<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1716802\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The leaders of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/venezuela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Venezuelan\">Venezuelan<\/a> military reaffirmed their support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro amid a contested election that has split the country&rsquo;s military.<\/p>\n<p>The Venezuelan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"election\">election<\/a> results had Maduro winning, results Democratic Unitary Platform candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia denounced as fraudulent, claiming victory as well. Mass protests broke out in the aftermath, leading to violence. The clashes with police have brought into question the loyalties of the military, with some videos published on social media showing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/march-13-national-military-k9-veterans-day-commemorates-first-day-of-training-for-armys-war-dog-program-in-1942\/\" title=\"March 13: National Military K9 Veterans Day, commemorates first day of training for army\u2019s war dog program in 1942\">military units<\/a> sympathizing with or even defecting to protesters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Military personnel wait for their turn to vote in the presidential elections at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo\/Fernando Vergara)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Tuesday, the military high command reaffirmed its loyalty to Maduro, putting the military establishment firmly behind the incumbent president.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We reaffirm the most absolute loyalty and unconditional support to Nicolas Maduro Moros, Constitutional President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Our Commander in Chief, legitimately reelected by the People&rsquo;s Power,&rdquo; Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in an address.<\/p>\n<p>Lopez said there was a coup attempt against Maduro and that the military would move to &ldquo;defeat&rdquo; it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is a coup in progress, so President Nicol&aacute;s Maduro has stepped up to stop it again and with him the people who elected him president, all the institutions, the Bolivarian armed forces, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-responds-to-myanmars-military-coup-we-will-take-action\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Responds To Myanmar\u2019s Military Coup: We \u2018Will Take Action\u2019\">democratic institutions<\/a>,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, videos emerged on social media showing soldiers interacting in a friendly manner with protesters, contrary to orders.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t maintain order and peace, then I will have to take action myself to defend them,&rdquo; a soldier told a group of protesters.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With all due respect to the soldiers, the idea is not for the military to fight against its own people,&rdquo; one of the protesters responded.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you respect us, we&rsquo;ll respect you,&rdquo; the soldier said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">&#127483;&#127466; | Militares venezolanos se retiran a petici&oacute;n popular. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TZkB6rniBw\">pic.twitter.com\/TZkB6rniBw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; &#668;&#7431;&#640;Q&#671;&#7431;s (@herqles_es) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/herqles_es\/status\/1818042675050004704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Two separate videos appeared to show riot police mingling with protesters to cheers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">&#128680;| URGENTE: En Barcelona estado Anzo&aacute;tegui Venezuela, los guardias nacionales y la Polic&iacute;a del Estado entregan sus armas y escudos a los manifestantes y se unen a ellos. &#127483;&#127466; El estamento militar y policial est&aacute; despertando y rechazando a Maduro. &iexcl;Si esto sigue as&iacute; Maduro cae! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yCgUxTYcTX\">pic.twitter.com\/yCgUxTYcTX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Eduardo Menoni (@eduardomenoni) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eduardomenoni\/status\/1818094391728177388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A military unit has joined the protestors in Venezuela. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6TnId4BxgW\">pic.twitter.com\/6TnId4BxgW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Agorist Nexus (@AgoristN) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AgoristN\/status\/1818166052024352953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>One video showed soldiers greeting and shaking hands with protesters to cheers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Venezuelan military are now greeting the protestors<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s obvious whose side they are on!<\/p>\n<p>FREEDOM is inevitable for the people of Venezuela <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lX9xPWDpbL\">pic.twitter.com\/lX9xPWDpbL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Pleb &#127464;&#127462; Reporter (@truckdriverpleb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/truckdriverpleb\/status\/1818118465774883056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most videos surfacing on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-pro-palestine-protesters-pick-the-wrong-officers-to-violently-clash-with\/\" title=\"Watch: Pro-Palestine Protesters Clash Violently with Unfortunate Officers\">social media show police<\/a>, military, and pro-government paramilitaries fighting with protesters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Military units have fired on &amp; killed protestors in Venezuela &#127483;&#127466;. <\/p>\n<p>&#128073; Once a dictatorship fires on its own people, the chances of protestors simply going home diminishes greatly. <\/p>\n<p>&#128293; Now there&rsquo;s a demand for vengeance.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Venezuela?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Venezuela<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VenezuelaLibre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VenezuelaLibre<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VezezuelaLibreCarajo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VezezuelaLibreCarajo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jgko1JfCHq\">pic.twitter.com\/jgko1JfCHq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/officejjsmart\/status\/1818154936196063602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Maduro himself blamed the United States for the unrest, saying the &ldquo;system that killed John F. Kennedy and attempted to kill Donald Trump is trying to sow civil strife in Venezuela.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#129327; MADURO: The same system that killed John F. Kennedy and attempted to kill Donald Trump is trying to sow civil strife in Venezuela<\/p>\n<p>Press conference with full security council (ONGOING) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/T0ou5b7sM7\">pic.twitter.com\/T0ou5b7sM7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; COMBATE |&#127477;&#127479; (@upholdreality) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/upholdreality\/status\/1818375040506667073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><em>Ailin Vilches contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1716802\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1716802\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Venezuelan military leadership has expressed its backing for President Nicolas Maduro during a disputed election that has caused divisions within the armed forces. While official results declared Maduro the winner, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the candidate from the Democratic Unitary Platform, rejected these results as fraudulent and claimed victory himself. This led to widespread protests and subsequent violence, raising concerns about military loyalty as some videos surfaced on social media showing military personnel siding with or defecting to demonstrators. <\/p>\n<p>On July 28, 2024, military members were seen waiting to vote at Fort Tiuna in Caracas. In response to the unrest, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez reiterated the military&#8217;s allegiance to Maduro during a speech on Tuesday. He described an ongoing coup attempt against Maduro and asserted that the armed forces would work to thwart it. Lopez emphasized that all institutions and democratic entities stand with Maduro.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this official stance, social media footage showed soldiers engaging amicably with protesters against orders. One soldier told demonstrators he would take action if order could not be maintained while another protester remarked that there should be no conflict between soldiers and civilians if mutual respect is upheld.<\/p>\n<p>Additional videos depicted riot police mingling with protesters in a show of solidarity by handing over their weapons and shields. Some clips captured soldiers shaking hands with demonstrators amid cheers from crowds.<\/p>\n<p>While many videos circulating online depict confrontations between police forces and protesters\u2014highlighting instances where military units have fired upon civilians\u2014Maduro attributed the unrest to external influences from the United States, claiming they are attempting to incite civil discord in Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>Ailin Vilches contributed reporting for this story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2316234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Venezuela-military.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36710,36612,36709,36667,14099],"class_list":["post-2316233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-latin-america","tag-maduro","tag-military-loyalty","tag-political-support","tag-venezuela"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Venezuela-military.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}