Chaos In Venezuela Congress As Maduro Forces Block Guaido From Vote

Opposition leader Juan Guaido saw his power base crumble Sunday when Venezuelan government and rebel opposition lawmakers ousted him as president of the National Assembly, in what’s been characterized as a parliamentary coup.

As security forces blocked Guaido and other opposition lawmakers entering the building, Luis Parra, a deputy ensnared in a corruption scandal, declared himself the new leader of the chamber by megaphone amid chaotic scenes. Refusing to relinquish control of the legislature, Guaido later called an off-site session of congress -- in the building that houses the newspaper El Nacional -- where his bid for a second term as head of the assembly was met with majority approval, creating what would appear to be, at least for now, dueling legislative bodies.

Still, the day’s chaotic events represent a setback for Guaido and his year-long attempt to oust President Nicolas Maduro with the support of the U.S. and many other Latin American and European nations. Guaido’s popularity has declined recently after a wave of protests and an attempted uprising all failed to topple Maduro’s authoritarian regime, leaving no end in sight to the hyperinflation and economic collapse that have sparked a humanitarian crisis in th country.

While Parra officially opposes Maduro, government lawmakers were among the few allowed into the chamber today to vote him in as Assembly President. Guaido, meanwhile, was trying to scale a fence into the Assembly grounds and being pushed back by shielded national guards.

“This is a farce,” said opposition lawmaker Stalin Gonzalez, “Where is the vote, the list of attendees, or the quorum necessary for a vote like this?”

Michael Kozak, the acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said today’s vote didn’t meet minimum constitutional standards.

“Guaido will continue to have international support; however, his position has been further weakened,” said Dimitris Pantoulas, a political analyst in Caracas. “Spaces for democracy have been reduced, I believe there is none left.”

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