Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 10 January 2020
Fence-scaling Venezuela opposition leader rekindles his mojo

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO ers from entering. At one
FABIOLA SANCHEZ point, he tried scaling the
Associated Press National Assembly's fence,
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) only to be pulled down the
— In a crisp black suit with a tail of his suit.
bright blue tie, Juan Guaidó Inside, Luis Parra, a one-
pushed and shoved his time Guaidó ally who had
way through rows of hel- been expelled by an op-
met-clad national guards- position party for allegedly
men, cursing and scolding taking bribes to favor gov-
them like schoolchildren for ernment associates, de-
blocking him from entering clared that he was the new
Venezuela's congress. National Assembly presi-
"You don't get to decide dent, claiming to have gar-
who gets in!" he yelled, nered 81 votes of 150 law-
inching his face up close makers present, though a
to the young man imped- detailed tally has not been
ing his access to the legisla- provided.
ture's ornate halls. Separately, Guaidó held
In recent days, the opposi- a session at a Venezuelan
tion leader who drew thou- newspaper in which the
sands of Venezuelans to opposition says he ob-
the streets last year only to Opposition leader Juan Guaidó gestures during a press conference at the El Hatillo amphitheater tained 100 votes, including
see his momentum steadily in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. from some of his skeptics.
fizzle as President Nicolás Associated Press When Parra tried to hold
Maduro remains firmly in a session Tuesday, Guaidó
power appears to have too preoccupied trying to ternational limelight nearly Guaidó and the Maduro and a caravan of lawmak-
gotten his mojo back. meet basic needs like find- one year ago when he government sat down for er supporters stormed past
Images of the man recog- ing food and medicine to climbed up on a stage be- talks in Barbados mediat- national guardsmen and
nized by the U.S. and over turn out for a demonstra- fore thousands of Venezu- ed by Norway that started forcibly entered the legis-
50 other nations as Venezu- tion that might not change elans filling densely packed out promising but went no- lative building, sending the
ela's rightful president scal- anything. city blocks to declare him- where. A series of corrup- Maduro-backed leaders in-
ing the National Assembly's Guaidó will also have to self the beleaguered na- tion scandals involved pur- side scrambling.
spiked iron fence, tussling rally disparate opposition tion's interim president on ported misuse of funds for "Today, lawmakers deliv-
with national guardsmen factions that united to re- grounds that it was his con- deserted soldiers and op- ered a victory for the Ven-
and taking a spirited oath, elect him as head of the stitutional right to step in position lawmakers secretly ezuelan people," Guaidó
shouted into a darkened National Assembly over because Maduro's reelec- doing the bidding of gov- said triumphantly.
congress operating with- whether or not to partici- tion was not legitimate. ernment allies left the op- But how long might it last?
out electricity, seem to pate in this year's legislative The previously unknown position decidedly bruised. In some ways, little or noth-
have riled up his base once elections. Thus far, the op- backbencher was imme- By December, Guaidó's ing has changed: Maduro
more. position hasn't articulated diately recognized by U.S. approval rating had plum- still has control of the mili-
"Today he's the star once a joint strategy. Many are President Donald Trump meted to 38 percent, down tary and the backing of
again," said Luis Vicente weary of participating in and dozens of other na- from a high of 61 percent powerful institutions like
León, president of Data- a vote with Maduro still in tions stretching from Ecua- 10 months before, León the Supreme Court, while
nalisis, a Caracas-based power, pointing out that dor to Estonia. said. Guaidó leads a largely
polling company. But, the the current National Elec- He led a forceful street Not only had Venezuelans powerless institution with no
analyst added: "It won't be toral Council is still stacked campaign, but a series of grown distrustful of Guaidó, ability to enforce its propos-
enough. He needs to con- heavily in the president's missteps proved costly. they'd also steadily lost faith als.
vert his potential energy favor. In February, he snuck into that Maduro's unpopular "Once the dust is settled,
into kinetic energy." Others note that if they Colombia, defying a Su- government could be re- he'll continue to face the
Much is resting on the don't run, Maduro's govern- preme Court order prohib- moved. Whereas in Febru- same challenges," said Di-
36-year-old lawmaker's ment could gain control of iting him from leaving the ary over 70 percent stated ego Moya Ocampos, a po-
shoulders: Whether he can what many see as Venezu- country, to oversee the en- in polls that they believed litical risk analyst.
capitalize on the new mo- ela's last democratic institu- try of international humani- there'd be a change within In one potentially telling
mentum could determine tion. tarian aid into Venezuela. three months, by Decem- sign, there have been no
whether the opposition's At the center of it all is But state security forces ber only 21 percent were spontaneous protests in
flagging movement rein- Guaidó, who in his new refused to let the goods in, optimistic, León said. Sunday's aftermath, sug-
vents itself or drifts into the fighting stance appears to staying loyal to Maduro, Sunday was expected to gesting that the public's
sidelines of history. be drawing a page from who had prohibited them be more of the same: A anger over Maduro's at-
A significant test will come the epic, age-old David from allowing supplies in showing of hands in favor tempted power grab could
later this week when Ven- and Goliath narrative of across the border. of renewing Guaidó's re- be limited, or at least still
ezuelans decide whether the virtuous underdog rush- Then came a blundered at- election as head of the Na- too focused on other press-
or not to heed his call for ing to the rescue. tempt at sparking a military tional Assembly, with some ing matters.
a new round of protests. "Regaining momentum is revolt in late April. Though abstention or votes against Still, Moya Ocampos said
Many are skeptical that important," said Maryhen a few dozen soldiers joined by factions who are upset he expects to see more
Guaidó can still mobilize Jiménez, a Venezuelan- Guaidó and his mentor, with his leadership. forceful Guaidó in the days
large numbers. An esti- born lecturer in politics at Leopoldo López, in urging Instead, it turned into a gal- head, exercising stronger
mated 4.5 million people Oxford University. "But then the nation's armed forces vanizing moment. rhetoric. Guaidó's decision
have fled the country, there is the other side of the to turn against Maduro, Thick rows of green-uni- to leave the party of his
many of them the young story, which is the passion most stayed in their bar- formed national guards- mentor, Voluntad Popular,
people most likely to pro- of Venezuelans for a hero." racks. men blocked Guaidó and could also free him up to
test. Countless others are Guaidó leaped into the in- Compelled to negotiate, other opposition lawmak- take bolder moves.q