BOGOTA: The new leader of Venezuela’s opposition-dominated National Assembly has vowed to take up the fight against President Nicolas Maduro.
Juan Guaido told lawmakers that Maduro will be “usurping” the presidency starting on January 10, when the 56-year-old will be sworn in for a second term.
“We need to create the conditions to have a transitional government to have clean and transparent elections,” Guaido, 35, told the assembly.
Guaido went on to call Maduro’s government “oppressive” before saying that it was the responsibilities of Venezuelans and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) to “work” their way out of that situation.
Venezuela’s elections in May, which awarded Maduro a second six-year term in office amid accusations of voter manipulation and fraud, have been widely regarded as fraudulent.
The United States threw its support behind the newly-sworn-in National Assembly, which has been sidelined by the creation of the controversial Constituent Assembly in July 2017, calling it “the only legitimate and last remaining democratically elected institution” representing the Venezuelan people.
“The National Assembly should inspire hope in the Venezuelan people for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future,” a statement by the US State Department said on Saturday.
The statement came days after another by thirteen American countries stating they will not recognise the legitimacy of Maduro’s new term.
Venezuela’s elections in May “lack legitimacy for not having included the participation of all the Venezuelan political players, nor the presence of independent international
observers, nor the necessary international guarantees and standards for a free, fair and transparent process,” said the Lima Group of American countries.
The statement was signed by Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia. The Lima Group called on Maduro to transfer power to the National Assembly until new elections are held.
The 13 countries attributed the “serious political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela” to “anti-democratic and oppressive” policies of the Maduro regime. — dpa
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