Brazil's Bolsonaro backs Venezuela uprising, says country 'enslaved by dictator'

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday expressed his nation’s “solidarity” for the people of Venezuela, as that country’s opposition leader made a bold new effort to push President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Bolsonaro wrote on his official Twitter account that the people of Venezuela are “enslaved by a dictator” and that he supports “freedom for our sister nation to finally become a true democracy.”

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized by Brazil, the United States and dozens of other Western nations as the country’s interim leader, called anew on Tuesday for his countrymen to take to the streets on a day he vowed would be the last for Maduro’s stay in power.

“Brazil is on the side of the Venezuelan people, president Juan Guaido and the freedom for Venezuelans,” Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Brazil’s foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said his country supported a democratic transition in Venezuela. He said Brazil hopes its neighbor’s military will abandon Maduro.

“Brazil supports the democratic transition process and hopes the Venezuelan military will be part of that,” Araujo said.

He added that it was “positive” to see movement of some Venezuelan military toward recognizing Guaido as the legitimate president of their country.

Bolsonaro has called a meeting to discuss the situation in Venezuela as the government receives information on developments there, Vice President Hamilton Mourao told reporters.

While Brazil has recognized Guaido as the interim leader of Venezuela, it has opposed military intervention there to overthrow Maduro’s socialist government.