Venezuelan opposition faces fading enthusiasm

Emily Mayora’s family once supported the opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, especially when a fresh young leader injected life into that movement three years ago

MAIQUETIA, Venezuela -- Emily Mayora's family once supported the opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, especially when a fresh young leader injected life into that movement three years ago and drew huge crowds into the street.

But when the same leader showed up recently to rally support in Maiquetia, a town on the Caribbean Sea, Mayora didn't bother to walk a block to see him. She stayed in the little store she runs from her home, selling soda and snacks while Juan Guaidó, made a speech to about 90 people.

Her disappointment is widely shared in Venezuela, where the economy is dismal and many people are fed up both with the government and the groups that oppose it.

“I don’t believe in either side, neither the opponents nor the ruling party,” the mother of two said. “Why? Because they promise and promise and do not deliver. They get up there, ‘We’re going to get rid this nefarious government,’ just talk. There are many people here who do not leave their homes (to attend the gathering) — only a few do —because they no longer believe in any of this.”