French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called the 2018 election of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro “illegitimate”, throwing his weight behind the opposition by hailing the thousands protesting in the streets.

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Macron said in his tweet that Europe supports the restoration of democracy, and “welcomes the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who march for their freedom”.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim leader on Wednesday, winning the support of Washington and parts of Latin America and prompting Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013, to sever diplomatic ties with the United States.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on Venezuela and boycotted Maduro’s swearing-in, but stopped short of following Washington’s line. However, it called on the authorities in Venezuela to respect his “civil rights, freedom and safety” and appeared to support calls for a peaceful transition of power away from Maduro.

“The people of Venezuela have massively called for democracy and the possibility to freely determine their own destiny. These voices cannot be ignored,” the 28-nation bloc said in a statement.

In addition to Macron’s statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May said via her spokesman that the election had been neither free nor fair and expressed support for Guaido as national assembly head.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez planned to call Guaido after talks with Latin American leaders in Davos, a government source said on Thursday.

Moscow and China back Maduro

The prospect of Maduro being ousted is a geopolitical and economic headache for Moscow which, alongside China, has become a creditor of last resort for Caracas, lending it billions of dollars as its economy implodes. Moscow has also provided support for its military and oil industry.

Russia on Thursday accused Washington of stoking street protests and of trying to undermine Maduro, whom it called the country’s legitimate president.

“We consider the attempt to usurp sovereign authority in Venezuela to contradict and violate the basis and principles of international law,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He said Russia had not received a Venezuelan request for military help and declined to say how it would respond if it did. Maduro, who met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in December, was the legitimate president, said Peskov.

The Russian Foreign Ministry weighed in too, complaining that Washington was seeking to determine the fate of other nations by using a well-tried strategy of trying to depose an undesirable government.

It told Washington not to intervene militarily, warning outside interference was the path to bloodshed. “We warn against such adventurism which is fraught with catastrophic consequences,” it said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan offered support for Maduro too.

“My brother Maduro! Stand tall, we stand by you!” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, writing on Twitter, quoted Erdogan as saying.

China, a major lender to Caracas, also voiced its support for Maduro, saying it opposed outside interference in Venezuela and supported efforts to protect its independence and stability.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

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