Venezuelan government links opposition to Tren de Aragua gang for “coup d’état”

Caracas, Aug 21 (EFE).- Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said on Wednesday that the largest opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), has links with the transnational criminal gang Tren de Aragua in alleged plans for a “coup d’état” in the country, which is experiencing a political crisis following the elections of July 28.

“The evidence led us to believe that the Tren del Llano and the defunct Tren de Aragua were actually being hired by the opposition to launch a coup d’état,” Gil said at a meeting with diplomatic representatives accredited in the country.

Although the chancellor spoke of “evidence” he did not show anybut he assured that the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, who accompanied him as a speaker at the meeting, has elements that demonstrate that there is a “campaign to overthrow the legitimate and constitutional government” headed by Nicolás Maduro, who was proclaimed the winner of the recent elections.

He said that, in addition to the protests against the announced election result, which the government sees as a coup plan, there is also a “machinery that has been deployed on social media” to question Maduro’s reelection and incite, he said, new protests.

However, he stressed that the country is experiencing “social peace,” referring to the absence of post-election protests, after 25 deaths and more than 2,400 arrests were recorded in these demonstrations and in subsequent police operations, according to state sources.

Gil urged the ambassadors to convey “this truth” to their respective governments, some of which have asked Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) to publish the disaggregated results of the July 28 election, as established in the official schedule, to confirm Maduro’s victory.

The Venezuelan foreign minister made this request five days after 22 countries and the European Union (EU) requested the “impartial” and “independent” verification of the results of these elections, which were accused of being fraudulent by the PUD, which claims that its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won by a wide margin.

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