What Happened The Venezuelan opposition's push for regime change is faltering, and a claim of a newly thwarted coup plot casts even further doubt on the influence of opposition leader Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan congressional leader who is widely recognized as interim president in President Nicolas Maduro's stead. Jorge Rodriguez, an influential political figure who belongs to Maduro's inner circle, said on state television that a group of opposition members and dissident military officers planned to free former Defense Minister Raul Baduel, whom the government has imprisoned for most of the last decade, to replace Maduro. Several military and police officials, including an air force general, were arrested in recent days. The government claimed the opposition coup attempt was intended to happen between June 23 and 24. Why It Matters The claim contradicts the Venezuelan opposition's known strategy for regime change, which centers on putting Guaido in office.