Venezuela oppn ends Guaido’s leadership in vote

Bloomberg

Venezuela’s opposition put an end to Juan Guaido’s interim government, voting against renewing his US-backed strategy that failed to oust President Nicolas Maduro over the course of almost four years.
A proposal to eliminate the parallel government passed a second and final round of voting in the opposition-led National Assembly. Starting from January 5, the National Assembly is expected to temporarily assume some of his responsibilities, mainly to protect Venezuelan assets abroad that were under Guaidó’s care, a task that’s not entirely clear they’ll be able to carry out.
Guaido, defiant with a note of complaint, said that the opposition did what Maduro failed to achieve: remove him.
“If Maduro gives the order to arrest me, I will be here,” Guaido said in the legislative session via webcast.
Lawmakers from three of the four main opposition parties voted to eliminate the figure of a caretaker president and his interim government by a margin of 72 votes in favour and 29 against, with 8 abstentions.
The dismantling of Guaido’s shadow government marks the end of a fruitless effort to foster regime change that began in 2019, when he claimed the mantle as the country’s rightful leader, backed by the opposition parties and dozens of governments, following rigged elections.
His venture thrust him onto the global stage at such venues as the Davos World Economic Forum and as a guest of former President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Yet after failing to recruit Venezuela’s powerful military and deliver on his promise to quickly oust Maduro, his popularity began to wane.
These days Guaido has lost the backing of all but a few foreign governments, with European countries dropping their recognition and newly elected leftist leaders in Latin America moving to re-establish ties with Maduro. At home, his support among the opposition has dwindled to smaller groups and the Popular Will party, of which he was formerly a member.
As a result of the vote, the opposition Assembly will assume some of Guaido’s responsibilites as it continues its term through 2023.
Those duties include keeping the ad-hoc boards of the central bank and state oil company PDVSA and establishing a five-member council to manage and protect assets abroad including Citgo Petroleum Corp and the nation’s gold stored at the Bank of England.