WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2019) Five million Venezuelans are projected to flee in the next year if a stable, democratic government is not restored in the country and the numbers could rise to seven million over the next 18 months, Organization of American States (OAS) President Luis Almagro said.
[The OAS projects] five million Venezuelans fleeing the country over the next 12 months," Almagro told a meeting at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday.
The figure is projected to rise to seven million in the coming 18 months if the current political crisis in the country is not resolved, Almargo added.
"What we cannot accept any more is the violent solution of the Venezuelan dictators," Almagro said.
On Sunday, Almagro accused Venezuelan authorities of kidnapping opposition parliament speaker Juan Guaido. US President Donald Trump is considering recognizing Guaido as the country's president, according to media reports.
Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second presidential term. The United States said Maduro has usurped power in Venezuela and called on him to restore democracy.
The OAS voted 19 to 6, with eight abstentions, not to recognize Maduro as Venezuela's leader.
