Has Maduro ousted rival Guaido? Chaos and confusion amid ‘parliamentary coup’ in Venezuela
- Venezuela’s socialist government installed a new head of congress after armed troops blocked opposition legislators from entering parliament
- Gambit was slammed by the United States, the European Union and a dozen Latin American nations
Opposition leader Juan Guaido and a rival lawmaker, Luis Parra, both claimed to be Venezuela’s parliament speaker after two separate votes and accusations of a “parliamentary coup”.
Guaido on Sunday was re-elected speaker by opposition lawmakers in a session held at a newspaper office after police blocked him from entering the National Assembly legislature.
In his absence, corruption-tainted Parra proclaimed himself speaker after claiming to have been elected with 81 votes in the 167-member chamber.
Guaido, who a year ago declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to the authority of socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, received the votes of around 100 lawmakers, including several forced last year into exile or to take shelter in foreign diplomatic missions due to a regime crackdown.
The 36-year-old Guaido vowed to “enforce” the constitution in his dual role as parliament speaker and “acting president”.
