Venezuela opposition leader claims Venezuela presidency with support from protesters and the US

Venezuela opposition leader, Juan Guaido, backed by hundreds of thousands of protesters and the United States, on Wednesday declared himself interim president, calling for free elections to end the rule of socialist Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement minutes later, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate interim president, and a Canadian official said Canada was preparing also to add its support.

According to report by Reuters, demonstrators clogged avenues in eastern Caracas, chanting “Get out, Maduro” and “Guaido, Presidente,” while waving national flags. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in several areas, after a rally on Tuesday evening left a reported four people dead.

The 35-year-old Guaido has energized the opposition with a campaign to declare Maduro a usurper after elections last year widely regarded as fraudulent, and has promised a transition to a new government in a nation suffering a hyperinflationary economic collapse.

I swear to assume all the powers of the presidency to secure an end to the usurpation, said Guaido, recently elected head of congress, before an exuberant crowd.

Guaido’s declaration takes Venezuela into uncharted territory, with the possibility of the opposition now running a parallel government recognized abroad as legitimate but without control over state functions.

Maduro’s administration could also crack down on Guaido. It has previously accused him of staging a coup and has threatened him with jail. Guaido’s political mentor, Leopoldo Lopez, was arrested in 2014, one of dozens of opposition activists and leaders the government jailed for seeking to overthrow Maduro through violent street demonstrations in 2014 and 2017.

Guaido has said he would be willing to replace Maduro with the support of the military and to call free elections. Maduro started a second term on Jan. 10 following a widely boycotted election last year that many foreign governments described as a sham.

I will continue to use the full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy, Trump said in his statement.

The Trump administration could impose sanctions on Venezuelan oil as soon as this week, according to sources.

Any change in government in Venezuela will rest on a shift in allegiance within the armed forces. So far, they have stood by Maduro through two waves of street protests and a steady dismantling of democratic institutions.

The constitution says if the presidency is determined to be vacant, new elections should be called in 30 days and that the head of congress should assume the presidency in the meantime.