By Kevin Pham
Staff Writer
On May 5, Juan Guaidó declared himself the new interim president of Venezuela after international urging and United States support.
At the beginning of the year, violent protests and demonstrations occupied the streets of Venezuela as citizens protest the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s presidency.
According to the New York Times, riots intensified on Jan. 11, after the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela inaugurated Maduro on Jan. 10.
These protests that persisted in Venezuela for over 5 years and according to CNN, there is no evidence that they will subside until governmental reform is made.
These protests started on Feb. 12, 2014, due to economic inflation and shortages of basic goods; they have since become violent.
As of April 6, nationwide support has been thrown to Guaido and his campaign, Operation Freedom. Through his work, he hopes international funds and national support will help him oust Maduro from the Venezuelan government according to Reuters.
The British Broadcasting Channel has reported that “More than three million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years” due to the protests.
The New York Times reports that the Venezuelan conflicts are extremely detrimental to its citizens as poverty stricken neighborhoods, corrupt communities, and dislocated families; the reason for the unrest, are still receiving no help.
According to BBC, Guido’s mission to save Venezuela from tyranny will be a difficult.
In the US, The Venezuelan embassy has “gone dark” as reported on May 9 by the washington post after the protests intensify in Washington, D.C.
Guaidó is the president of the National Assembly, but this legislative body was largely rendered powerless by the creation of the National Constituent Assembly in 2017, which is exclusively made up of government loyalists.
Many government officials of Venezuela believe that Maduro should remain president since he was elected and that they would do everything in their power to protect him from “imperialist threats”.
President Nicolas Maduro had made plans since 2014 to stage a coup and overthrow the current administration.
Both Maduro and Guaidó have sponsored protests, creating unrest on both sides of the civil war.
Maduro’s current government is not favorable international affairs as United States’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that Maduro is “not someone who can be apart of Venezuela’s future”.
There has been extreme international pressure from the United Nations for Maduro to step down from his “tyrannical rule” according to CNN.
