Thousands of Venezuelans rallied in support of President Nicolas Maduro as regional governments seemed to back away from a threat to punish his socialist administration for violating its commitment to democracy.
International pressure has been building on Maduro to yield to opposition demands that he face a recall referendum this year amid rising frustration with widespread food shortages and triple-digit inflation. On Tuesday, Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, called for a special emergency meeting of regional governments to evaluate whether Maduro’s jailing of opponents and blocking of legislation from the opposition-controlled congress had gravely undermined democracy and the rule of law.
