Venezuela, hit by economic devastation and political turmoil, is one of the most troubled countries today. Its situation has lately become so dire that 90% of its citizens are reported to have trouble affording food. Meanwhile, Venezuelan officials have “embezzled billions.” Venezuela currently ranks as the most corrupt country in Latin America. The ongoing catastrophe there has triggered mass unrest against President Nicolas Maduro, who has responded by grabbing more power and cracking down on the opposition with such measures as arresting opposition leaders. That is why Maduro is widely condemned around the world as a “dictator,” and Venezuela seems to be yet another failed experiment in socialism.

There are, however, admirers of Venezuela and its autocratic president, and they are not just left-wing comrades such as British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. To wit, Maduro enjoys unmistakable sympathy in Turkey from a political strain that can hardly be defined as “left” — Erdoganism, the ruling ideology and sentiment centered around the resolute leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

This affection is evident in the Erdoganist media, where dozens of reporters and commentaries have lately been praising Maduro as a patriotic leader resisting plots by the CIA and other agents of “imperialism.” For example, an article in the daily Star headlined “Behind the Scenes of Events in Venezuela” argued that criticisms concerning the rule of law and human rights in Venezuela are merely propaganda in a “campaign by drug cartels and companies supported by the CIA.” Likening this propaganda to that against Turkey, the author added that Erdogan is much smarter than Maduro and therefore has better managed Turkey’s affairs.

A writer for the pro-Erdogan daily Milat also drew an analogy between Erdogan and Maduro, claiming that both leaders had been “targeted by CIA-orchestrated coup attempts.” It is now time to “protect democracy from the West,” the columnist said, and Maduro deserves praise “as the legitimate leader of Venezuela elected by the majority.” Aydinlik, a left-wing daily that has recently joined the pro-Erdogan camp, claimed to expose “the same CIA methods in Turkey and Venezuela.”