Guaidó asks for "action" to the 5,500 Venezuelans concentrated in the Puerta del Sol: "Do not leave us alone"

Juan Guaidó's visit to Spain, recognized as president of Venezuela by Spain and more than 50 countries, has taken thousands of people out on Saturday. At the Puerta del Sol, followers of Guaidó have gathered since six in the afternoon to show their support for the president, who a year ago declared himself president in charge of the Latin American country. The opponent of the Nicolás Maduro regime has asked for "action" to the people summoned in the center of Madrid after receiving a distinction from the City Council: "Do not leave us alone."

From a stage, Guaidó has addressed the 5,500 people, according to data from the National Police, who occupied half of the square and recorded with the mobile the president they recognize for their country. "He represents us," said Gladis, a 67-year-old Venezuelan. "I trust that he is the one who makes the change," he said and clarified that he expects the interim president to remain in office until there are "free and unmanaged elections."

The people present have listened in silence to the speech that Guaidó has made late, about eight o'clock at night, before meeting with the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. A year after Guaidó proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela, a country undergoing a political, economic and social crisis, the Venezuelan opponent began last Sunday an international tour that started in Colombia and continued through the United Kingdom, Brussels and the Economic Forum World of Davos and France before landing in Spain.

Thousands of followers have waited for almost two hours for the arrival of the politician, who has maintained a very tight agenda this Saturday, with acts at the Town Hall and the Community, and meetings with different politicians. Despite the wait, Salvador, 43, has thanked the "encouragement" message. "In Venezuela there is no food, there is no medicine, there is no education, there is no health, there is no transport," said the man, who has lived in Spain for 3 years and has participated with 20 more people in the concentration.

In recent years, thousands of Venezuelans have emigrated to Spain because of the situation in the Latin American country. According to the latest data published by the National Statistics Institute, 24,238 Venezuelans arrived in Spain in the first half of 2019 and added to the 158,218 that already resided.

"Hope is important because we have been losing it," said Irene, 55, who has been out of her country for more than 14 years. Guaidó intended to prevent a new mandate from Maduro, but the pulse continues and both maintain support in the country. "It is good that there are options of different trends, but the bad thing is when the options take away the freedom of a country and its people," he defended.

The woman has stood on the base of a lantern to have a better view of the president, who after the speech at the Puerta del Sol, appeared on one of the balconies of the Royal Post Office, headquarters of the Community. Behind a flag of Venezuela that the regional government has hung for the visit of the president in charge, Guaidó has greeted the concentrated people and has sustained from one extreme a smaller flag of the Latin American country. Beside him, Díaz Ayuso raised the other end and chanted "Yes you can!".

The PP overturns with Guaidó

The leader of the PP, Pablo Casado, met this Saturday in private with the self-proclaimed president in charge of Venezuela. After the meeting, Casado has asked the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the "immediate cessation" of Ábalos, "for lying six times" about his appointment with Maduro's number two, Delcy Rodríguez. "Ábalos has been lying to the Spaniards for two days. Today we have known the sixth lie and we still don't know what happened in Barajas."

The president in charge of Venezuela has also received distinctions from the regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who has given her the International Medal of the Community of Madrid. And the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and the vice mayor, Begoña Villacís, that have given him the Golden Key of the city, a distinction granted to the heads of state that is in the city on official visit.

Pedro Sánchez has not received the interim president, although the Foreign Minister, Arancha González Laya, who has transmitted the "full support of the Government of Spain to his figure" has done so.

On the decision of Sánchez, the former socialist presidents José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Felipe González disagreed on Friday: Zapatero said that Pedro Sánchez was doing well to not receive him and González, on the other hand, assured that the Venezuelan politician is "the only legitimate representative of that country."

For Irene, who has remained on the base of the lantern with an eye on the balcony, Sanchez's decision "has been a big mistake" because, he believes, "he shows fear of his political allies." Hours earlier, however, the Venezuelan opposition leader argued that Sánchez had been one of the first European leaders to recognize him as the president in charge. At their side, they have claimed "freedom" until Guaidó has left the balcony to continue the tour.