Chilean President Claims Venezuela's Maduro Will Be Ousted 'Within Days'

BUENOS AIRES(Sputnik) - Chilean President Sebastian Pinera speculated that his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, would be ousted within days.

"Within days, Maduro's dictatorship will cease to exist. The people of Venezuela have opened door to freedom and democracy, with courage and happiness. Now they should move toward a free and prosperous country that lives in peace. All the democrats across the world share this happiness," Pinera posted on Twitter.

La dictadura de Maduro en #Venezuela tiene sus días contados. El pueblo venezolano abrió las puertas de la Libertad y Democracia con coraje y alegría. Ahora deberá recorrer los caminos hacia un país libre, próspero y en paz. Todos los demócratas del mundo compartimos su alegría.

— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) February 12, 2019

Earlier in February, Colombian President Ivan Duque equally voiced the belief that Maduro, with whom he has long been at loggerheads, would soon lose his post.

At the same time, US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams suggested earlier that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should leave the country, and such "friends as Cuba or Russia" would gladly accept him.

READ MORE: Caracas EU Envoy Notes Global Support for Maduro Amid National Crisis

Maduro himself has accused Washington, which has stated that it has all options on the table with regard to a response to the Venezuelan crisis, of organising a coup in the Latin American country.

Tensions in Venezuela escalated when Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-led parliament, declared himself interim president on January 23, disputing Maduro's re-election, which took place last year. Guaido's declaration was almost immediately recognized by the United States and some of its allies. EU states were expected to issue a joint statement recognizing Guaido, who has been slammed by Maduro as a "US puppet," but Italy vetoed the motion, according to a Sputnik source.

Russia, China, Mexico, Turkey, Uruguay and several other states have said that they supported Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.