Because the military remains loyal to Chavismo, Maduro has been able to use the military to violently suppress protests, killing dozens of Venezuelans in the process. As a result, the public is disincentivized to rebel because they fear lethal backlash. Furthermore, elite-led efforts to overthrow Maduro have failed due to the military’s loyalty to him, such as when Guaidó failed to convince top officials to join him in a 2019 coup attempt.