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Bloomberg
A large crowd blocked a major avenue in eastern Caracas to protest President Nicolas Maduro’s swearing-in, a ceremony that perpetuated what the opposition and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have labeled a “usurpation.â€
About a 1,000 people gathered to listen to Juan Guaido, the 35-year-old head of the National Assembly. The body is the country’s only remaining opposition-controlled authority and Maduro left it virtually irrelevant when he created an all-powerful body stacked with loyalists in 2017.
People in the crowd chanted “Guaido for President!†and “Yes, we can!†and held posters with Maduro’s face bearing the word “tyrant.†“Is it enough to abide by the constitution?†Guaido asked. Venezuela’s constitution grants presidential powers to the head of the National Assembly in the absence of a legitimate president.
It was the first major political protest since hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in 2017 over hyperinflation, rampant shortages and a soaring crime rate. Organised demonstrations fizzled over the past year as Maduro consolidated power and cracked down on dissent.