In an interview with a Russian news agency, Mr. Maduro also rejected calls for a new election. His re-election last year has been widely disputed, and the U.S. and a number of European countries have called for a fresh vote. The U.S., in an effort to oust Mr. Maduro, has imposed harsh oil sanctions that economists worry could unravel a Venezuelan economy already in vertiginous decline. On the streets: Mr. Maduro has hit back viciously, human rights groups and others say, dispatching security forces to crush dissent in poor neighborhoods that have turned on his government. And his reliance on a special police unit — relatively new and shrouded in secrecy — may be a sign of disarray and waning loyalty in the military.

Source: New York Times January 31, 2019 04:48 UTC