Venezuela parliament sides with Guaido

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s opposition-dominated National Assembly on Tuesday ratified Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president until new elections can be held.

The endorsement came a day after the government of President Nicolas Maduro said its lawmakers would return to the legislature, which they abandoned three years ago.

The vote represented “unrestricted political support for the leadership of Juan Guaido as president of the National Assembly and as president in charge… until the cessation of usurpation occurs,” according to a statement from the National Assembly.

The decision implies that US-backed Guaido, recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries, will continue to head the legislature after 5 January when his term ends.

The United States welcomed the move, saying it reflected “the unity and strength of the democratic opposition.”

Deputies from the ruling socialist party walked out of the National Assembly in 2016 after losing control in elections, and the government set up its own body, the Constituent Assembly, to sideline the opposition-dominated body.

On Monday, Maduro’s government said its deputies would return to the National Assembly “in the interest of deepening and extending the dialogue” with the opposition.