A piece of drama at the perch. In the most total confusion and in the absence of Juan Guaido, the opposition deputy Luis Parra, rival of the young opponent, proclaimed himself president of the Parliament, Sunday January 5. Opposition to Nicolas Maduro denounces a "parliamentary coup".
The only institution controlled by the opposition to the socialist president, the Venezuelan Parliament was to elect its president for 2020. A post to which Juan Guaido said he was certain to be renewed to continue his "fight", hitherto unsuccessful, to drive from the palace of Miraflores the political heir of Hugo Chavez, whom he describes as "usurper" since the "fraudulent" presidential election of 2018.
Later in the day, Nicolas Maduro said he recognized the elected rival of Juan Guaido as the new president of the Parliament.
Juan Guaido prevented from entering the hemicycle
But at the beginning of the afternoon, when the opponent and a dozen opposition deputies were prevented for four hours from entering the hemicycle by long checks by the army and the police, Luis Parra, elected official, goes up to the perch.
Faced with his loyal peers in Chavista power and facing opposition deputies who broke their ban with Juan Guaido who were able to enter Parliament without problem, he seized a megaphone and proclaimed himself unilaterally new President of the Parliament unicameral.
Chaos is indescribable. Luis Parra's words are inaudible. Opposition elected officials boo him, others congratulate him and a string of mobile phones immortalizes the scene.
Outside, at the gates of the Assembly, Juan Guaido tries to climb the entrance before giving up, according to images from the private channel VPI.
The reaction of the opposition loyal to Juan Guaido was immediate. Luis Parra's proclamation was made "without a vote or a quorum," she said. She refers to a "parliamentary coup".
Washington, Juan Guaido's most loyal ally, speaks of a "desperate" attempt to replace him in Parliament. As for Brazil, he accuses Maduro of "forcibly blocking the legitimate vote and the re-election of Juan Guaido", as evidenced by a tweet from the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Em Caracas hoje, Maduro tried to impedir, in força, votação legítima na Assembleia Nacional e reeleição de Juan Guaidó para a presidência da AN e do gov interino, crucial p / a redemocratização do país. Brasil não reconhecerá qualquer resultado dessa violência e afronta à democracia. pic.twitter.com/M0g6CKztgx
- Ernesto Araújo (@ernestofaraujo) January 5, 2020Luis Parra camped on his positions and said that 81 deputies out of 140 present voted for him.
The Chavist deputy, Pedro Carreño, explained to AFP that the session had taken place in the presence of 150 elected officials, 84 of whom voted for Luis Parra, the simple majority of the Parliament which has 167 seats.
Juan Guaido, who claimed to have the 84 votes necessary for his re-election, also claims that the government has paid bribes to opposition MPs to turn their faces.
After the proclamation of Luis Parra, the current acting president went with opposition MPs to the headquarters of the newspaper El Nacional, without specifying his intentions.
Strengthened by his status, Juan Guaido intended to get a second chance to continue his showdown with Nicolas Maduro, whom he blamed for the economic and social crisis in Venezuela.
With AFP
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