If you need one word to describe Venezuela these days, it would be fearful.” That’s what one Latin American diplomat told CNN this week, reflecting on the strange atmosphere in the country.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a meeting of leaders of the member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and the Treaty of Commerce and Promotion (ALBA-TCP),

"We ask the world for solidarity right now," said Luis Gonzalez, a Venezuelan exile who has lived in South Florida for the past eight years. The rally comes in response to calls from Machado, who urged Venezuelans worldwide to mobilize peacefully against Nicolás Maduro 's decision to remain in power despite international recognition of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of last year's presidential election.