Jan 10

Jan 10 Opposition lawmakers seize Venezuelan National Assembly By Phillip A. Howard

Opposition lawmakers stormed the doors of the Venezuelan National Assembly to begin the new session. And, with the lights out in the legislature, opposition leader Juan Guaido took the oath of office.

“They’re not going to stop us,” said Juan Guanipa, Mr. Guaido’s deputy.

Guanipa said the legislature has “a grand responsibility with this country.” Declaring that “soon we’ll be able to say Venezuela is a free country, a democracy, a country that will rebuild.”

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (Yuri Cortez/AFP)

This remarkable development comes only days after Maduro ousted the opposition party from the only independent body left in the nation. Maduro replaced Guaido, the leader of the assembly, with Luis Parra, a former opposition party member turned supporter of Maduro.

The United States is considering placing additional sanctions on Maduro and his supporters. Vice President Mike Pence said during a phone call with Guaido, who is seen by the United States as the official and constitutionally elected leader of Venezuela, as the “only legitimate president.”

Venezuela has been rocked with violence since Guaido’s election in 2018. Numerous riots have left many dead or injured. National Guardsmen and colectivos, an armed civilan band that backs the Maduro government, have been involved in numerous clashes throughout the nation.

“We are in a dead end with no exit,” said Carlos Romero, a retired political science professor. Venezuela once had hope for democracy and economic growth in the region, but no more.

Phillip Howard is a graduate student at Utica College