Venezuela’s Maduro may be kicked out by own military & get ‘nice’ exile in Cuba, Tillerson hints

When the people’s patience runs out, the military then “will manage a peaceful transition,” Tillerson said, avoiding terms usually associated with such a chain of events, such as “military coup” or “overthrow.”

The ousting of Maduro is not something Washington aspires to or plots, Tillerson said, noting that “whether that will be the case here or not, I do not know.”

“We have not advocated for regime change or removal of President Maduro. We have advocated that they return to the constitution,” he stated, adding that Maduro’s political fate will depend on the outcome of elections.

“And then, if he is not re-elected by the people, so be it,” Tillerson said. The latest national election held in Venezuela - the one that led to the inauguration of the National Constituent Assembly in August - was not recognized by Washington, which slapped the country with several rounds of sanctions targeting the financial and energy sectors of the oil-rich country.

The Constituent Assembly, convened to rewrite the constitution, took over the opposition-led National Congress. The election campaign and its aftermath were marred by large-scale opposition protests and violence, which led to over 100 people being killed in the clashes.

As popular outrage mounted, President Maduro and his government said the protests had been inspired from abroad, suggesting that outside pressure played a role in making the country’s economic hardship even worse. Meanwhile, anti-government protests were met with massive rallies in support of Maduro, with the largest pro-government demonstrations taking place in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

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