Time for hardtalk welcome to hardtalk. Im stephen sackur. There was a time last year when it seemed that president maduros grip on power in venezuela was loosening. Yet here we are, two months away from a president ial election with maduro oozing confidence and his opponents seemingly in disarray. My guest today is one diehard anti regime activist, david smolansky, who was the mayor of a district in caracas until he fled the country to escape a jail term for aiding the street protests last year. Why does venezuelas opposition so consistently promise more than it delivers . David smolansky in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you very much for having me. Were glad to have you on the show, albeit via satellite in washington, dc. How does it feel to be a venezuelan, a politician, an activist who currently is living in the us capital . Do you feel uncomfortable . Obviously it is not comfortable because i want to be in my country. I am a public servant. I was removed from office wi
Im stephen sackur. There was a time last year when it seemed that president maduros grip on power in venezuela was loosening. Yet here we are, two months away from a president ial election with maduro oozing confidence and his opponents seemingly in disarray. My guest today is one diehard anti regime activist, david smolansky, who was the mayor of a district in caracas until he fled the country to escape a jail term for aiding the street protests last year. Why does venezuelas opposition so consistently promise more than it delivers . David smolansky in washington, dc. Welcome to hardtalk. Thank you very much for having me. Were glad to have you on the show, albeit via satellite in washington, dc. How does it feel to be a venezuelan, a politician, an activist who currently is living in the us capital . Do you feel uncomfortable . Obviously it is not comfortable because i want to be in my country. I am a public servant. I was removed from office with no justification at all. But at the
In venezuela has voted to put opposition leaders on trial for treason. This is the assembly that elected in a vote that opposition voters boycotted. Among the accused are the Louisa Ortega she was chief prosecutor before being sacked. A major critic of the government. One of the members of this assembly has called her scum. Also, head of the opposition controlled parliament, julio borges. Here is his reaction to these accusations the only one responsible is maduro and its time he takes a look in the mirror and accepts he has ruined venezuela. This is the reaction of the un high commissionerfor human rights. With respect to maduro, the president was elected by the people. But since then, there has been an erosion of democratic life. Very clearly, as was pointed out, he and his colleagues have noted the wave of repression. It must be barely alive, if still alive, of repression. It must be barely alive, if stillalive, is of repression. It must be barely alive, if still alive, is the way i
Welcome to hardtalk, im stephen sackur. Every day, venezuela seems to get one step closer to economic and political chaos. Mass Anti Government protests have swept the country for the past month. Close to a0 people have been killed in clashes with President Maduros Armed Enforcers. The shops are short of food, hospitals low on medicine, something it seems, has got to give. My guest isjulio borges, speaker of the opposition controlled national assembly. Is the Chavista Socialist Revolution dying on its feet . Julio borges, in caracas, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you, stephen. We have seen more than a0 days of mass protests on the streets and we see the violent clashes between protesters and the Armed Enforcers of President Maduro and we see the casualties, many injured and around a0 people, many of them very young, killed. How long can this go on . Well, listen, it is not only a5 days, we have been fighting for 18 years and a5 days. And we are fighting for democracy in venezuela and that
Welcome to hardtalk, im stephen sackur. Every day, venezuela seems to get one step closer to economic and political chaos. Mass Anti Government protests have swept the country for the past month. Close to a0 people have been killed in clashes with President Maduros Armed Enforcers. The shops are short of food, hospitals low on medicine, something it seems, has got to give. My guest isjulio borges, speaker of the opposition controlled national assembly. Is the Chavista Socialist Revolution dying on its feet . Julio borges, in caracas, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you, stephen. We have seen more than a0 days of mass protests on the streets and we see the violent clashes between protesters and the Armed Enforcers of President Maduro and we see the casualties, many injured and around a0 people, many of them very young, killed. How long can this go on . Well, listen, it is not only a5 days, we have been fighting for 18 years and a5 days. And we are fighting for democracy in venezuela and that