On January 23, 2019, Juan Guaido was elected head of the National Assembly of Venezuela and surprised everyone by proclaiming himself interim President of the Republic. Before a cheering crowd, white shirt with rolled up sleeves, he demanded "The end of the usurpation (from power by Nicolas Maduro), a transitional government and free elections ”.
A year later, the man who embodied the hope of a united opposition had lost some of his luster. He now has white hair, dark circles have appeared around the eyes. If he has obtained recognition by about fifty countries, including the United States – which imposed heavy sanctions against Caracas – as the legitimate president of Venezuela, the 36-year-old was not in able to obtain the departure of Mr. Maduro. Its popularity has fallen in polls, from 63% to 39% between January and December 2019, according to a survey by Datanalisis. And in Venezuela, the opposition is still divided.
Braving a ban on leaving the country, Juan Guaido left Venezuela illegally on January 19 to reach Bogota, where he met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Then he started a European tour. In addition to French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he met on Friday evening January 24, he held talks in Brussels with European leaders and in London with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. At the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland on Thursday, he appealed for help from the international community. A call in the form of a statement of failure. Meanwhile, in Caracas, Nicolas Maduro was celebrating "The failure of the putschist adventure".
Before leaving for Madrid on Saturday January 25, where he was received by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya (in place of the head of government Pedro Sanchez, who was originally supposed to meet him), Juan Guaido told World that the legislative elections to be held by the end of the year are a " prank call ".
What conclusions do you draw from your international tour?
It was very productive. In particular, we denounced the irregular presence in Venezuela of members of the Colombian National Liberation Army and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who are involved in the trafficking of gold and drugs. We have also alerted to the dire humanitarian situation facing Venezuela, with 5 million refugees in the region, according to the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. We need support to overcome this crisis, which can only be compared to that experienced in Syria, a country at war, which is not the case of Venezuela.
