Venezuela opposition votes to overhaul interim government, remove Guaido

The political opposition in Venezuela voted on Thursday to remove the interim government led by Juan Guaido ahead of the tentative 2024 presidential elections.

The motion passed in a virtual Zoom session with 72 votes in favor, 23 against, and nine abstentions. The move was backed by three of the four major opposition groups and must go through another consultation scheduled for next week before it is definitive. 

The three major parties, Justice First, Democratic Action, and A New Era, have drafted a plan to create a board of directors to manage Venezuela’s assets abroad, reported Reuters. If approved, the opposition lawmakers will choose five representatives for the board of directors, removing Guaido’s interim government. 

Juan Guaido, who has been the face of Venezuela’s opposition, was appointed as congress chief and interim president after the controversial 2018 presidential elections, in which Nicolas Maduro was reelected for a second six-year term. 

Despite not being able to do much within Venezuela, Guaido’s interim government has supervised the country’s foreign assets and runs many of the South American embassies. 

However, Guaido has fallen from favor, mostly due to the opposition’s failure to remove Maduro from power. Feeling that Guaido’s leadership has failed to live up to its promises, the opposition believes they need a better way to connect with voters ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. 

Guaido, however, has claimed that replacing his interim government with leadership by committee would be unconstitutional and would make way to recognize Maduro’s dictatorship.