The disempowered Venezuelan Parliament wants to push President Nicolás Maduro from office. The deputies accused the head of state of unlawful seizure of power and declared all future government decisions void.
The constitutional order must be restored, said the opposition President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó.
He had already stated last week that he was ready to temporarily take over the presidency and call new elections if he could count on the support of the people, the armed forces and the international community. In order to win over the soldiers, parliamentarians passed an amnesty law for all military personnel who help restore democracy.
Despite massive international protests, Maduro had been sworn in for a second term last week.However, numerous states, international organizations and the Venezuelan opposition rate its re-election last year as undemocratic. The Organization of American States (OAS) does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate president. The US and the EU called on the head of state to return to democracy.
The OAS welcomed the decision of the Parliament.
„We support the decision of the National Assembly to establish the unlawful seizure of power by Nicolás Maduro,“ wrote OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro on Twitter. According to the constitution, the parliamentary president should temporarily take over the government and call new elections.
US Vice President Mike Pence spoke on the phone with President Guaidó and promised him US support. The US would view the National Assembly as the only legitimate state authority in Venezuela, the minutes said. However, Maduro has deposed the parliament and delegated its powers to the pro-government constituent assembly.
Juan Guaidó has had an amazing career last week.
Only at the beginning of the year took over the previously largely unknown MPs of the party Voluntad Popular presidency in the National Assembly, now the 35-year-old parliamentary president is already Maduro’s main opponent.
At the weekend, he was temporarily arrested by agents of the secret service Sebin and released shortly thereafter. Maduro spoke of a „Show of the Right“ and said that the agents acted on their own authority.
Venezuela is in a deep political and economic crisis.
Because of Maduro’s increasingly authoritarian governance, the South American country is largely isolated internationally. The US and the EU have imposed a series of sanctions on Maduro and his leadership.
Due to lack of foreign exchange, the state can hardly import more food and everyday necessities.Medical care has largely collapsed. For the current year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects an inflation rate of 1.37 million percent, the gross national product is expected to fall by another 18 percent according to the forecast. Around three million Venezuelans have already left their homeland.
