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Juan Guaidó: Venezuela's opposition leader briefly detained | Juan Guaidó: Venezuela's opposition leader briefly detained |
(35 minutes later) | |
The head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament was briefly detained days after saying he was ready to assume the country's presidency. | The head of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament was briefly detained days after saying he was ready to assume the country's presidency. |
A video posted on social media appears to show the moment intelligence agents intercept Juan Guaidó's car in a busy road north of the capital, Caracas. | A video posted on social media appears to show the moment intelligence agents intercept Juan Guaidó's car in a busy road north of the capital, Caracas. |
Two journalists detained while covering the case have also been released. | Two journalists detained while covering the case have also been released. |
President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a second six-year term on Thursday. The opposition calls him illegitimate. | President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a second six-year term on Thursday. The opposition calls him illegitimate. |
Mr Guaidó - who said on Friday he was ready to assume the Venezuelan presidency on an interim basis - was detained on his way to a political rally in the northern state of Vargas, opposition members said. | |
His wife, Fabiana Rosales, who announced the detention on Twitter, and daughter were travelling with him, according to local media reports. | His wife, Fabiana Rosales, who announced the detention on Twitter, and daughter were travelling with him, according to local media reports. |
The detained journalists have been named as Beatriz Adrián, from Colombia's Caracol television, and Osmary Hernández, who works for CNN's Spanish news channel. | The detained journalists have been named as Beatriz Adrián, from Colombia's Caracol television, and Osmary Hernández, who works for CNN's Spanish news channel. |
What's happening in Venezuela? | |
Mr Guaidó is the speaker of the National Assembly, which has been stripped of its powers since Mr Maduro's ruling Socialist Party lost control of it in 2016. | |
Mr Maduro dismissed his comments as a "show". His re-election in May last year was marred by an opposition boycott and allegations of vote-rigging. | |
Since taking office Mr Maduro has been condemned at home and abroad for alleged human rights abuses and for his handling of the economy, which is in a state of near-collapse. | |
Venezuela is one of the world's largest oil producers but its overreliance on the product, which accounts for about 95% of its export earnings, left the country vulnerable when prices dropped in 2014. | |
As a result, the cost of imported goods like food and medicine has risen, and currency inflation has skyrocketed. | |
The government is also increasingly struggling to get credit after it defaulted on some of its government bonds. In response, the government has printed more money, devaluing the currency further. | |
Mr Maduro was first elected in 2013, succeeding Hugo Chávez who died of cancer after governing for 14 years. |