MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Maduro “The opposition should understand that the revolution will continue”

It is unclear what Nicolas Maduro is willing to negotiate after seeing himself as the only president who can guarantee political stability.

The Venezuelan president said the Democratic Unity Roundtable is looking for “excuses” to leave the political dialogue that is ongoing since Sunday under the auspices of international mediators and the Vatican.

 President Nicolas Maduro said that his opponents should understand that “the revolution will continue,” and called them to go on negotiating. “The opposition should understand that the revolution will continue. It is irreversible and they must learn to live with the revolution and to be governed by the revolution, they have to learn the right to be left to govern democratically,” Maduro sressed.

The president said in his radio speech that the people have “defended” his seat and the opposition would “never again” return to that space. He added that the opposition leaders within the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) are supposedly looking for “excuses” to leave the political dialogue that is under way since Sunday under the auspices of international mediators and the Vatican.

He asked them to remain “quiet” and assured that ”the only president of the republic that guarantees that you (opponents) continue to coexist and exercise your political rights is me, and you know it.”

The government and the Venezuelan opposition last Sunday began a dialogue under the auspices of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and the Vatican. The MUD later put forward several conditions to return to the negotiating table with the Government of Venezuela on 11 November, including a commitment “on both sides to an electoral solution to exit the crisis.”

Maduro also said the ruling PSUV would defeat the opposition alliance in the elections of governors scheduled for the end of the first half of 2017.

Also on Thursday, hundreds of Chavez supporters marched into downtown Caracas to support Maduro and camped outside the Miraflores Presidential Palace. Chavist Freddy Gutierrez said that “more than 5,000 young people” have layed out tents outside Miraflores and added that this settlement is not a direct response to the opposition's march called for the same part of the city, which was suspended as a “gesture” of goodwill.

However, supporters of two parties alligned under the MUD and students from several Caracas universities marched east of the capital to demonstrate their “distrust” of the will of the Government in the dialogue process and demanded “results” soon.

Deputy Dario Vivas of the ruling party said in a TV interview that the camps outside Miraflores will continue until Friday. Deputy Diosdado Cabello, considered the number two of the Chavist movement, said that the opposition party Popular Will (VP) of incarcerated leader Leopoldo Lopez planned violent actions against the Chavismo installed tents, and dubbed the strategy as “Operation Troy”.