The clip sporting Maduro showing off his moves to the musical beat was shortly uploaded on his Twitter account, where the president enthusiastically reported having held an inspiring meeting with his country’s youth; but debate about the episode shows no sign of ending.
“I shared an extraordinary encounter with the boys and girls of our homeland. Its strength and joy is the living image of the determination of the Venezuelan people, who overcome the difficulties and advances towards the construction of our beautiful Venezuela”, Maduro tweeted the following day, on 3 May.
While Western mainstream media immediately picked up on the event, calling the dancing moment “brazen” amid the severe crisis in the country, many appear to disagree, arguing that Maduro is rightfully continuing his everyday duties as the country’s legitimate president, also giving a thumbs-up to his meeting with the country’s younger generation:
“They are the future of our country. WE will win!”” one enthusiastic Twitterian posted.
“Once again, the good won Congratulations, Venezuela!” another user butted in, in Portuguese.
A number of Twitterians even further encouraged the president, despite a chorus of users consireing the move to be “sick” and “outrageous”:
“Come on Nico, the military civic union is with you” one exclaimed, with another Maduro supporter posting along the same lines:
“Bravo my Constitutional Presi. So it was governed with the Patriotic People and the youth… Long live the youth”.
Protests have shaken the country since opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself an interim president on 23 January, with tensions reaching a peak last week with Guaido calling on Venezuelans and the military to take to the streets and overthrow Nicolas Maduro. The failed coup attempt, as the event was described by Caracas, saw the onset of two-day clashes between the country’s security forces and protesters.
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Maduro stated that the commanders of all regions and zones of integral defence had reiterated their unconditional support and loyalty to the country’s legitimate authorities, emphasising in a series of tweets that Venezuelan troops are “perfectly trained, prepared and united”.
After the uprising attempt fell apart, Guaido acknowledged that the opposition had miscalculated the their support among the ranks of the military, revealing in an interview with The Washington Post that they had hoped Maduro would step down amid a groundswell of defectors within the military.
In the meantime, US National Security Adviser John Bolton stressed in a comment that “all options are on the table” when it comes to Venezuela, expressing hopes that the Latin American country would see a peaceful transfer of power.