{"id":3546,"date":"2026-01-08T19:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3546"},"modified":"2026-01-08T19:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:41:12","slug":"venezuelas-sidelined-opposition-decries-country-as-still-very-authoritarian-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3546","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela’s sidelined opposition decries country as still ‘very authoritarian’ : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n A resident holds an image of Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado during a celebration in Santiago, Chile, on Saturday, after U.S. forces seized Venezuela’s leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.
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BOGOT\u00c1, Colombia \u2014 During the opening session of Venezuela’s National Assembly this week, opposition lawmaker Tom\u00e1s Guanipa stood up to demand freedom for the country’s more than 800 political prisoners, one of whom is his brother.<\/p>\n

His protest lasted just a few seconds until he was shouted down by pro-regime legislators.<\/p>\n

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Indeed, Venezuela’s political opposition remains largely muzzled and shut out of power. Although authoritarian leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro was seized by U.S. forces in Caracas over the weekend, his authoritarian regime remains in place. Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, is now interim president.<\/p>\n

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\n The former deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Tom\u00e1s Guanipa, observes during a protest called by the opposition on the eve of the presidential inauguration in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 9, 2025.
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Pro-regime figures continue to run the security forces, government ministries, statehouses and most city halls around the country. The government has decreed a 90-day state of emergency that empowers security forces to capture “any person involved in the promotion or support” of the U.S. military operation.<\/p>\n