Venezuelan elections presage demise of Guaido era
Published date: 04 December 2020
Venezuela's widely disputed National Assembly elections on 6 December will hasten the demise of US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido's authority as the Opec country's interim president in early 2021.
The Guaido-led opposition and its international supporters that view President Nicolas Maduro as illegitimate have rejected the legislative elections as fraudulent, vowing to withhold recognition of the body.
Guaido's coalition is boycotting the elections in favor of a 7-12 December "popular consultation" designed to prolong his legitimacy and maintain his political relevance, particularly among Venezuela's sizable diaspora that is eligible to participate.
The current National Assembly that Guaido has headed since January 2019 under an agreement to rotate the presidency among the four major opposition parties was elected in December 2015 for a constitutional period of five years ending on 5 January 2021.
The parties — Voluntad Popular (VP), Accion Democratica (AD), Primero Justicia (PJ) and Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) — are beset by infighting that has helped to erode Guaido's popular support since he declared an interim presidency nearly two years ago.
Blunder upon blunder
Shortly after Guaido burst onto the political scene, the US imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela, accelerating a decline in production and exports. But a series of missteps — including a botched February 2019 humanitarian aid delivery campaign and an aborted 30 April 2019 coup — dashed expectations for a swift political transition, leaving Maduro firmly entrenched in power, with key support from Cuba, Russia, China, Iran and Turkey.
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https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2166323-venezuelan-elections-presage-demise-of-guaido-era
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