Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned what he called a “coup attempt” in Venezuela after opposition leader Juan Guaido said he had the support of troops to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
“As a country which fought against coups and experienced the negative consequences caused by coups, we condemn the coup attempt in Venezuela,” Erdogan wrote on Twitter.
“The entire world must respect the people’s democratic preferences in Venezuela.” he added.
Erdogan is a known supporter of Maduro, who was the first world leader to back Erdogan after an attempted coup to oust the Turkish leader failed in 2016.
Opposition leader, Guaido, who has proclaimed himself as the leader, and has the support of over 50 countries including the United States and Brazil, said the military had joined forces with him to oust Maduro. Maduro is backed by Russia, China and Iran.
Speaking further, Erdogan said: “those who are in an attempt to appoint a post-modern colonial governor to Venezuela.”
“They should know that the only (way) to determine how a country shall be governed is through democratic elections,” the Turkish leader said.
“Ballot boxes are essential in democracies,”
