It is the end of an attempt to deal with the controversial ruler Maduro with a powerful opponent: Interim President Guaido is deposed again by a majority decision of the opposition. He had previously offered his replacement. What happens now?
Venezuela's opposition voted on Friday to remove interim President Juan Guaido. Politicians also supported the dissolution of his government and the appointment of a commission to manage the country's foreign assets. MEPs want to use the move to try to find common ground for the 2024 elections.
The politician Guaido, who became internationally known as an opponent of the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro, addressed the defeat directly to his compatriots: "To the Venezuelans: Count on me. As democrats, we will continue to defend the constitution. Today I tell you: We will be the dictatorship defeat. We will always meet again on the street."
Guaido declared himself interim head of state in January 2019 after elections that were criticized as rigged by Venezuela's opposition and officially confirmed Maduro in office. Numerous countries, including Germany and the USA, recognized him as the legitimate president. However, Guaido never managed to assert himself against head of state Maduro, who is supported, among other things, by the powerful military. Recently, Guaido's influence continued to wane.
Three of the four major opposition groups supported the bill to oust Guaido and create a five-member commission to manage foreign assets. Guaido's Voluntad Popular party opposed the plans. Guaido himself had urged lawmakers to replace him rather than dissolve the interim government. Both the article on the abolition of the interim government and the article on the establishment of the Property Commission were adopted with 72 votes in favour, 29 against and eight abstentions.
The United States will continue to support the opposition, the assembly and the interim government "regardless of what form it takes," a US National Security Council spokesman said Friday. The US and dozens of other states like Germany did not recognize President Maduro's re-election in 2018. With the support of Russia, Cuba, China and Iran, Maduro has so far been able to stay in office.
The United States wants to use sanctions to force free and fair presidential elections in 2024. According to United Nations estimates, more than seven million Venezuelans left their country this year to escape poverty, high inflation and food shortages.
