Maduro will step down soon enough, former Venezuela opposition leader says

For members of Venezuela’s democratic underground, it’s just a matter of time before Nicolas Maduro, the country’s socialist dictator, is forced to step down.

“Civil society is no longer supporting Maduro, and bureaucrats are no longer doing what the government wants them to do,” said a longtime opposition leader who served time in jail for helping his countrymen vote.

The former political prisoner refused to be identified for fear of being rounded up by roving bands of paramilitaries sent by “an increasingly desperate Maduro” to crack down on opposition, he told The Post.

“I have to work without public exposure right now, or I risk going back to jail and not being able to do anything,” said the former opposition leader, who endured months in solitary confinement for his pro-democracy activities. He was released last year.

Still, he said he continued to work in secret, trading coded text messages with his fellow activists using Whats App — “the most secure way of communicating,” he said.