Exit Juan Guaido. The “self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela” is let go by his own camp. The opponents who, in 2019, had propelled the former head of Parliament to the forefront of the political scene have just put an end to the “interim government”. Despite the active support of Washington, Mr. Guaido has not succeeded in supplanting, or even in weakening, President Nicolas Maduro. Elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2018, on the occasion of a disputed ballot, the latter is preparing to celebrate his ten years in power.
If the failure of the strategy put in place by the opposition four years ago is obvious, the sidelining of Mr. Guaido is not unanimous within it. More divided than ever, its leaders have their eyes – and ambitions – riveted on the 2024 presidential election.
Three opposition parties came out in favor of eliminating the interim government: Accion democratica (AD, Democratic Action), Primero justicia (PJ, Justice First) and Un nuevo tiempo (UNT, A new time). In a press release published on Tuesday, December 27, these parties – known as G3 – justify their position, considering that “from an ethical point of view, the interim government has been the setting for corruption scandals”. “From a political point of view, they add, it has ceased to be useful for the democratization of Venezuela and is of no interest in the eyes of the citizens. »
On social networks, the reactions are strong. Some of the opponents consider that by ousting Mr. Guaido, the G3 de facto recognizes the legitimacy and plays into the hands of the “dictator Maduro” . Others recall that “the interim president” was only the pawn of the parties that are betraying him today.
Possible international consequences
Many Venezuelans say they are tired of what they perceive as political battles, with no impact on their daily lives. According to the polls published in recent months, the opposition and its leaders are as discredited in public opinion as the Chavistas in power. And Juan Guaido has become even more unpopular than Nicolas Maduro.
When he takes the oath on January 10, 2019 for a second term, opposition MPs, who have a majority in the National Assembly and are contesting the 2018 election, say there are “usurpation of power”. They then push the deputy Juan Guaido, whom they have just elected president of the chamber to assume the presidency of the republic by interim “in accordance with the Constitution”. The political maneuver is validated by the United States and its main allies, including France, who recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela. The opposition deputies will refuse the following year to recognize the legitimacy of the legislative election. They therefore continue to sit, virtually. Many of them were forced into exile.
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