ADDS BACKGROUND
By Jeyhun Aliyev
ANKARA (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned a coup attempt in Venezuela.
“We, as a country, which has experienced coups and their negative consequences, condemn coup bid in Venezuela, ” Erdogan said on Twitter.
The world has to respect the democratic choices of the people in Venezuela, he added.
“Those who attempt to appoint a postmodern colonial governor to Venezuela, where the people are sovereign and where President comes through elections, should know only democratic elections determined the way to govern the country, ” Erdogan said.
“Ballot box is essential in democracies, ” he added.
His remarks came after Venezuelan Vice President Jorge Rodriguez said a group of soldiers is self-deployed on the Altamira distributor road, close to La Carlota military air base, for an uprising against the Constitution and peace of the country.
Earlier, opposition leader Juan Guaido released a video on Twitter in which he could be seen alongside soldiers, calling for an uprising to end the “usurpation ” of President Nicolas Maduro.
“The National Armed Forces have made the right decision, they have the support of the Venezuelan people, ” Guaido said.
Guaido also called on the public to take to the streets to support “democratic forces ” and “restore country's freedom. ”
Maduro, for his part, called on people to “protect the homeland and constitutional order “.
Venezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition.
Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the U.S. and many European and Latin American countries.
