The Juan Guaido-led temporary government in Venezuela was overthrown by the country’s opposition on Friday. Juan Guaido used to be the face of the movement to get rid of Nicolas Maduro, a leftist leader, and was well-liked and well-known.
The voting took place in the National Assembly, which is run by the opposition and was elected in 2015. However, it is now mostly just a show of power because it has been replaced by a legislature that supports Maduro.
The vote was 72 in favour, 29 against, and 8 abstained on the question of whether to dissolve the interim administration.
After hotly contested presidential elections that kept Maduro in power, Guaido gained the recognition of more than 50 countries, including the United States, in January 2019, which was almost four years ago.
But Guaido’s popularity has been steadily falling because he hasn’t been able to get rid of Maduro, even though the opposition controls some of Venezuela’s assets abroad.
Maduro is responsible for running Venezuela’s authoritarian government, which has caused years of economic turmoil and suffering, as well as severe shortages of food and medicine.
And Guaido’s international supporters, backed by the US, have chosen a more cautious tack.
A senior U.S. official said this week that the democratic opposition in Venezuela and the interim government will continue to get help from Washington. The official asked to remain anonymous.
In response to the Maduro government’s decision to talk again with the opposition, President Joe Biden’s administration has slightly eased sanctions on the oil industry in Venezuela.
While this was happening, other Latin American nations, such as Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina, recently chose leftist leaders.
On Friday, three of the four largest parties in Venezuela’s opposition voted to get rid of Guaido’s self-declared provisional government.
In a single statement, these groups said that “the interim government is no longer useful and has nothing to do with the people.”
On Thursday, Guaido unsuccessfully requested that the interim government remain in place.
“My suggestion is that this tool not be destroyed and that the institution be defended above individuals or personal interests,” Guaido added.
Despite having no authority, the opposition-controlled National Assembly has insisted on continuing to exist, claiming that by doing so it upholds some semblance of constitutionality. It maintains that the legislative elections that Maduro supporters won were similarly rigged.
