Venezuela: Dissolution of Juan Guaidó's interim government approved

The Venezuelan National Assembly approved on Friday the dissolution of the interim government of Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader who came to be recognized as the president of Venezuela by more than fifty countries, including the United States.

The Venezuelan Legislative elected in 2015, with an absolute pro-government majority, removed this figure assumed by Guaidó on January 23, 2019, with 72 votes in favor and 29 against, and eight abstentions.

Amidst harsh statements that show the existing fractures in the Venezuelan opposition, the Primero Justicia (PJ), Acción Democrática (AD) and Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) parties led the proposal to end the "interim" after failing to remove dictator Nicolás Maduro from power after four years. 

During the virtual parliamentary session, the opposition majority argued that "the interim did not fulfill its objectives," but remarked that the Parliament must be maintained to "safeguard" the assets abroad and to continue "fighting" against the Chavista regime.

The Venezuelan opposition plans to hold primaries in 2023 to elect a single candidate to face Maduro in the next presidential elections, scheduled for 2024. 

Guaidó warned that removing the interim would risk allowing Maduro to regain control of Venezuelan resources blocked abroad by sanctions imposed on the regime.