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Venezuela’s Maduro Claims Control of National Assembly, Fortifying Power Venezuela’s Maduro Claims Control of National Assembly, Tightening Grip on Power
(about 2 hours later)
CARACAS — Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, moved Sunday to consolidate his grip on power by taking control of the country’s last independent institution and sidelining the man who had staked a rival claim to the presidency. CARACAS — Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, moved Sunday to consolidate his grip on power by taking control of the country’s last independent institution and sidelining the lawmaker who had staked a rival claim to the presidency.
In a chaotic legislative session in which security forces surrounded the National Assembly building, supporters of Mr. Maduro blocked the re-election of Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader, as the body’s head in an attempt to deprive him of the position that allowed him to challenge President Maduro’s leadership. As Mr. Maduro’s security forces surrounded the National Assembly building, his supporters blocked the re-election of the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as the body’s head. That deprived Mr. Guaidó of the position that allowed him challenge to Mr. Maduro’s leadership.
The Maduro administration’s move plunges a turbulent political situation further into chaos at a time when Venezuela is already facing an economic collapse and widespread hunger, which has forced millions of its citizens to flee. By the end of a chaotic day, Venezuela’s political turmoil had somehow found a way to worsen.
Venezuela now has two men who assert they are the rightful president and two rival legislatures — one of which has two competing leaders, since Mr. Maduro’s supporters on Sunday elected one man to lead it, and Mr. Guaidó’s supporters gathered at a newspaper’s headquarters to re-elect him. The country already had two men who claim to be its rightful president and two rival legislatures. Now, one of the legislative bodies has two competing leaders.
By seizing control of the National Assembly, Mr. Maduro, who also retains the backing of the security forces, would consolidate his control over the country. That’s because after Maduro backers elected their own man on Sunday to lead the National Assembly, Mr. Guaidó’s supporters gathered at a newspaper’s headquarters, and in a dramatic roll call vote, re-elected him to the leadership position.
But the move was immediately denounced by members of the Venezuelan opposition, who called it a “parliamentary coup d’état” and said there had been no quorum to call the vote. The political chaos comes at a time when Venezuelans are facing economic collapse. Hunger is widespread, and millions have been forced to flee the country.
Mr. Guaidó positioned himself as head of a caretaker government a year ago, just two weeks after being elected head of the assembly. Standing in the streets of Caracas with hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Mr. Guaidó said then that Mr. Maduro’s 2018 election was fraudulent. Invoking an article of the Constitution that transfers power to the head of the assembly if the presidency becomes vacant, he claimed the country’s leadership. By seizing control of the National Assembly, Mr. Maduro cemented his control over the country. But the move was immediately denounced by members of the Venezuelan opposition, who called it a “parliamentary coup d’état,” and by critics abroad.
That announcement last year was quickly recognized by dozens of foreign governments, including the United States, which backed Mr. Guaidó by imposing crippling sanctions on Mr. Maduro’s government. “Maduro saw this as an opportunity to take over the only institution still widely regarded as legitimate,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue. “The international community will not recognize the new National Assembly.”
To continue to claim the interim presidency, Mr. Guaidó needed to be re-elected as head of the assembly on Sunday, according to analysts in and outside the country. A year ago, Mr. Guaidó declared himself as head of a caretaker government, just two weeks after being elected head of the Assembly. Standing in the streets of Caracas with hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Mr. Guaidó asserted that Mr. Maduro’s 2018 election was fraudulent. Invoking an article of the Constitution that transfers power to the head of the Assembly if the presidency becomes vacant, he claimed the country’s leadership.
His victory had been expected, as the opposition controls the legislative body, but at the last minute, members of the National Guard prevented Mr. Guaidó and other supporters from entering the assembly’s white-walled building. Video footage showed Mr. Guaidó attempting to climb over the spiked metal fence to access the building where the vote would be held. That claim was quickly recognized by dozens of foreign governments, including the United States, which backed Mr. Guaidó effort to take power by imposing crippling sanctions on Mr. Maduro’s government.
Inside, a member of Mr. Maduro’s party, Héctor Agüero, swore in the legislator Luis Parra as head of the assembly. There was no vote count. But to maintain his claim the interim presidency, Mr. Guaidó needed to be re-elected as head of the Assembly on Sunday, according to analysts inside and outside the country. His victory was expected, since the opposition controls the legislative body.
Mr. Parra is a former member of the opposition who turned against Mr. Guaidó after Mr. Guaidó opened a corruption claim against him. But at the last minute, members of the National Guard prevented Mr. Guaidó and other supporters from entering the Assembly’s white-walled building. Video footage showed Mr. Guaidó attempting to climb over the spiked metal fence to gain entry to the building where the vote would be held.
The United States immediately condemned the move. Inside, Mr. Maduro’s party swore in as head of the Assembly a legislator named Luis Parra, a former member of the opposition who turned against Mr. Guaidó after the Assembly leader opened a corruption claim against him. There was no vote count.
On Twitter, Michael Kozak, acting assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said that Mr. Guaidó “remains Venezuela’s interim president under its constitution,” adding that Sunday’s “phony National Assembly session lacked a legal quorum.” Mr. Parra then issued a statement calling for a “national reconciliation,” saying that his first goal was to put an end to confrontations “from those sectors that clearly wanted to destroy the Parliament today.”
In recent weeks, the opposition and the United States government accused Mr. Maduro of trying to block Mr. Guaidó’s re-election by bribing and harassing lawmakers. In December, Elliott Abrams, the United States special envoy to Venezuela, accused Mr. Maduro of trying to pay deputies up to $500,000 each to vote against Mr. Guaidó’s re-election. On national television Sunday night, Mr. Maduro called the election of Mr. Parra “a rebellion from within the Assembly” and said “the country rejected and rejects Juan Guaidó.”
In an interview just days after Christmas, Mr. Guaidó, 36, insisted he had the votes for re-election. But he acknowledged that Mr. Maduro was unpredictable and that anything could happen. “There is no manual,” he said, “for battling a dictatorship.” The United States condemned the move.
But Sunday’s maneuver highlighted Mr. Guaidó’s embattled position: A year after he seemed poised to oust Mr. Maduro and bring relief to his once-wealthy nation, now facing economic collapse, he appears to be losing ground. Michael Kozak, acting assistant secretary for the Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said Mr. Guaidó “remains Venezuela’s interim president under its Constitution,” He said Sunday’s “phony National Assembly session lacked a legal quorum.”
Mr. Guaidó coalition is in disarray, with dozens of his allies in exile, others in jail, and still others turning against him. Mr. Maduro’s grip on power is firm. And Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis is deepening, with millions in poverty, food shortages widespread and its people continuing to flee. In recent weeks, the opposition and the United States government had accused Mr. Maduro of trying to block Mr. Guaidó’s re-election by bribing and harassing lawmakers. In December, Elliott Abrams, the United States special envoy to Venezuela, accused Mr. Maduro of trying to pay deputies up to $500,000 each to vote against Mr. Guaidó’s re-election.
Mr. Guaidó’s own assessment of the past year is that he underestimated the government’s “ability to inflict harm” — meaning its willingness to threaten those who dissent. He cited the recent disappearance of one member of his party, Gilber Caro, who has not been seen since Dec. 20. “The persecution is brutal,” he said. In an interview just days after Christmas, Mr. Guaidó, 36, insisted that he had the votes for re-election. But he acknowledged that Mr. Maduro was unpredictable and that anything could happen. “There is no manual,” he said, “for battling a dictatorship.”
The enthusiasm with which many Venezuelans greeted him last year has ebbed. While huge protests in the region have forced out the president of Bolivia and pushed leaders in Chile and Ecuador to respond to citizens’ demands, Venezuelans have mostly retreated from the streets. And President Trump, who once floated the possibility of a military intervention in Venezuela, has turned his attention elsewhere. A year after Mr. Guaidó first stepped onto the national stage, garnering widespread support among Venezuelans, he appeared to be losing ground. Since February, his approval ratings had fallen by about 20 points, to 42 percent, according to the Caracas polling firm Datanálisis.
Venezuelans are struggling to deal with unmet expectations.
And in Mr. Guaidó’s own assessment, he underestimated the government’s “ability to inflict harm” — meaning its willingness to threaten those who dissent. He cited the recent disappearance of one member of his party, Gilber Caro, who has not been seen since Dec. 20.
“The persecution is brutal,” he said.
He also gravely underestimated Mr. Maduro’s hold on the armed forces, which are one of the pillars of his government, analysts said.
In late April, in one of the most dramatic moments of the year, Mr. Guaidó gathered his supporters at an air base named La Carlota and called for mass military defections. It was, he said, the final stage of “Operation Liberty.”
“The moment is now!” he said on Twitter. “Together we’re invincible!”
But the troops failed to arrive.
Mr. Maduro had spent years handing privileges and lucrative business connections to high-ranking officers to ensure their loyalty. The officers Mr. Guaidó sought to sway had everything to lose — and at best uncertain gains — if they switched sides.
Manuel Cristopher Figuera, Mr. Maduro’s former head of intelligence and the highest-ranking official to defect last year, said in an interview said that two top officials who had pledged to support Mr. Maduro’s ouster ultimately reneged, helping seal Mr. Guaidó’s fate.
While huge protests in the region have forced out the president of Bolivia and pushed leaders in Chile and Ecuador to respond to citizens’ demands, Venezuelans have mostly retreated from the streets. And President Trump, who once floated the possibility of a military intervention in Venezuela, has turned his attention elsewhere.
“It’s not that the Maduro government is particularly strong, but it survived,” said Margarita López Maya, a longtime Venezuelan political scientist who lives in Caracas. “And this is victory for them: surviving.”“It’s not that the Maduro government is particularly strong, but it survived,” said Margarita López Maya, a longtime Venezuelan political scientist who lives in Caracas. “And this is victory for them: surviving.”
Ana Vanessa Herrero contributed reporting.Ana Vanessa Herrero contributed reporting.