VENEZUELA
Blame Game
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro rejected claims that pro-government “colectivos” were behind an attack on opposition presidential hopeful Henri Falcon’s campaign on Monday and said 17 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident.
“If someone says they are ‘chavista’ or a member of a ‘colectivo’ and does what that group did yesterday in Catia, in Caracas, then they’re not ‘chavista,’” Reuters quoted Maduro as saying during a speech on state television. “It could be an infiltrator on the right-wing’s payroll.”
The embattled president – whom Peru’s foreign minister reiteratedon Tuesday is not welcome at the upcoming Summit of the Americas April 13-14 – didn’t provide any further details about the arrests.
Falcon’s security chief reportedly suffered a “severe” head injury. Separately, the head of his campaign claimed to have secured the backing of the other opposition leaders comprising the Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD – though some are worried the former member of Maduro’s party may be a government stooge running to legitimize an unfair election.
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