‘Family threatened by Maduro agents’

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido said Thursday elite security forces went to his home to threaten his family, blaming the government of Nicolas Maduro as international support grew for his bid to oust the embattled president. The move heightened fears for the security of the 35-year-old National Assembly leader, who declared himself acting president last week in a bold challenge to Maduro’s authority.

The police’s special action force, FAES, had gone to his home to interview his wife Fabiana Rosales, Guaido said during a speech at Caracas university.“At this moment the dictatorship believes that it will intimidate us,” Guaido said, his wife at his side. Earlier, European lawmakers recognized Guaido as the acting head of state -- another step forward in his bid to force out the socialist leader who has presided over the oil-rich country’s economic collapse. Several opposition leaders have been jailed in recent years as Maduro cracked down on growing dissent in the Latin American country, where resistance has escalated with Guaido’s spectacular self-proclamation.

Deprived almost entirely of coverage on mainstream media, Guaido has deftly used the social networks to woo support, but even that avenue is increasingly being cut off, and there is an explicit ban against talking about him. The dramatic turn against Maduro’s leftist regime culminated quickly, but it came after weeks of behindthe-scenes diplomacy including a hushed meeting in Washington with Guaido, who was quickly recognized by Washington as Venezuela’s president. Henrique Capriles, 46, a former presidential candidate and an opposition leader in recent years, said the opposition was unaware Guaido would declare himself the country’s leader on January 23.

“That surprised a lot of political figures (but) I don’t say that as a criticism,” Capriles said. While marshaling international support, Guaido is seeking to maintain street pressure against Maduro, and has called more mass protests for Saturday. Venezuela’s Supreme Court -- dominated by regime loyalists -- has frozen his assets and ordered him not to leave the country.

EU lawmakers’ support

On Thursday, lawmakers at the Brussels-based European Parliament voted to accept Guaido as “legitimate interim president of the country” -- and urged the European Union to follow suit. Four major European powers -- Britain, France, Germany and Spain -- have said they would do so if Maduro fails to call presidential elections by the weekend. The US on Thursday urged all European countries to recognize Guaido, but Maduro has told the “imperialists” to wait until 2025 for new elections.

Guaido was at the main Caracas university to present his “rescue plan” for a country in economic meltdown. Part of the plan unveiled by the opposition leader and his economic advisor Jose Guerra is to end exchange controls in force since 2003 and renegotiate Venezuela’s estimated $150 billion debt.