Nicolás Maduro’s five-year reign looks set to be over after US-backed rival Juan Guaidó swore himself in as interim president to challenge the feared strongman
MARXIST Nicolás Maduro’s five-year reign looks set to be over after US-backed rival Juan Guaidó swore himself in as interim president to challenge the ruthless strongman.
But who is Venzuela's interim president and what's happening in the country at the moment?
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez is a Venezuelan engineer and politician serving as the President of the National Assembly since January 5.
On January 23 the 35-year-old took a public oath swearing himself in as acting President of Venezuela due to the current political crisis following the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro as President of Venezuela earlier this month.
Guaidó has been a political activist for much of his life, and was a founding member of the Popular Will political party in 2009.
Since his inauguration as President of the National Assembly, Guaidó has sworn to oppose Maduro, who was accused of usurping executive power by remaining in office past the end of his presidential term, which expired on 10 January 2019.
Also known as an acting president, an interim president is someone who is enlisted for temporary political leadership.
The interim president fulfils the roles of the incumbent president - Maduro - when they are unavailable.
Guaidó's claim to the presidency has been recognised by the Organisation of American States and the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the US.
But he has been rejected by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice which is pro-Maduro.
The US was the first country to officially recognise Juan Guaido - the President of Venezuela's National Assembly - who declared himself interim president until a fresh election could be held.
In January, violent protests erupted in Venezuela, leaving at least seven dead, after thousands took to the streets in a bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro had ordered US diplomats to leave the country, a command the US refused, sparking fears of an Iran-style hostage siege.
Guaido has called on the armed forces keeping Maduro in power to disobey the government.
During his rule Maduro has destroyed the oil-rich South American nation’s economy sparking rampant inflation which wrecked its health system and left his people starving.
Tens of thousands of protesters answered Guaidó’s call to the streets after Maduro started his second term of office on January 11 following disputed elections.
The move sparked reactions across the world, with the US the first country to officially recognise Guaido as the interim president.
But Venezuela's rulers have presided over rampant hyperinflation rendering the Bolivar currency worthless and sparked food and medicine shortages while crime rocketed.
Street unrest boiled over amid spiralling economic turmoil after three million Venezuelans fled triggering a refugee crisis across the continent.
The country’s ambassador to Iraq has also broken ranks to throw his weight behind the US-backed interim leader Guaido.
In a video message posted on social media, Jonathan Velasco Ramirez became the first high-ranking diplomat to turn his back on under-fire President Nicolas Maduro.
“The National Assembly is the only power of the Republic which has ethics, legitimacy and legality,” he said in a statement broadcast on Colombian network .
In April, 2019, Nicolas Maduro called for his supporters to take to the streets with "nerves of steel" after Guaido called for a military uprising.
Guaido earlier made his call to arms surrounded by dozens of troops outside an air force base in the capital Caracas.
In a dawn address he declared the "beginning the final phase of Operation Freedom" had begun.
He was pictured near an air force in Caracas flanked by a group of men in uniform - many wearing blue ribbons on their sleeves.
Government security forces fired tear gas at Guaido, his supporters and around 70 armed men in military uniform.
Video footage showed people fleeing as the sound of bullets being fired rang through the air.
So far, the military, and in particular the higher ranks, have repeatedly pledged their loyalty to President Maduro.
He defiantly tweeted: "Nerves of steel. I call for maximum popular mobilization to assure the victory of peace. We will win!"
Maduro said he had spoken with military leaders and they had shown him "their total loyalty".
But in a bid to gain armed forces support, the opposition has developed an amnesty proposal that would grant amnesty to soldiers who willingly break ranks with the current government.
US President Donald Trump tweeted on April 30: "I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely.
"The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!"
In February, Trump said: “I am officially recognising the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela.
“In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant.
"The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out.”
Speaking at the University of Miami on Monday, Mr Trump added: "We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open."
The Venezuelan military could play a decisive role in the stalemate - but has largely remained loyal to Maduro.
Maduro accused President Trump of speaking in an "almost Nazi style" and lashed out for thinking he can deliver orders to Venezuela's military.
In remarks broadcast on state television, Maduro said: "Who is the commander of the armed forces, Donald Trump from Miami?
"They think they're the owners of the country."
Trump said "a new day is coming in Latin America," as he sought to rally support among the largest Venezuelan community in the US for Guaido.
