Interim Venezuela leader, face of opposition, voted out

CARACAS, Venezuela — The opposition legislature in Venezuela voted to terminate its interim government, ending the leadership of Juan Guaidó, who for years had served as the face of resistance to the country’s authoritarian government.

The vote Friday was a blow to the United States, which had steadfastly backed Guaidó. It was the second and final vote this month to determine the fate of the interim government, whose influence has waned in recent years as President Nicolás Maduro has held onto power. Guaidó failed to cement his popular support, and the opposition fractured.

The decision made clear that members of the opposition had lost faith in Guaidó’s ability to achieve their goals — the ouster of Maduro’s authoritarian government and the restoration of democracy — and that they aimed to pursue a different strategy.

With 72 votes in favor, 29 against and eight abstentions, the lawmakers moved to end Guaidó’s interim presidency as of Jan. 4.

“Everything we are doing has to do with laying the foundations for a new stage of a more effective democratic struggle,” said Juan Miguel Matheus, a representative of the Primero Justicia party. He said the decision had “as its supreme objective to defeat Maduro as soon as possible.”

Venezuela has been in the grip of an economic, political and humanitarian crisis since 2014. Seven million people, a quarter of the population, have fled abroad in recent years, with a growing number headed toward the United States.

Guaidó, 39, a student activist turned legislator, took the helm of the country’s legislature in 2019, when it was the last major institution in the country controlled by the opposition. Amid large-scale protests against the Maduro government, he invoked an article of the constitution that transfers power to the head of the National Assembly if the presidency becomes vacant. He declared Maduro, 60, an illegitimate ruler and appointed himself the country’s interim leader.

The bold move was backed by the United States and dozens of other nations, and he soon drew an outpouring of support from Venezuelans, bringing a sliver of hope to a nation crushed by repression and the collapse of the economy.

Guaidó’s strength was tied to his international diplomatic recognition, but U.S. sanctions designed to assist him gutted government revenues and forced Venezuelans to focus on daily survival, not political mobilization. And his attempts to spur a military uprising ended up consolidating Maduro’s control over the armed forces.