Maduro attempts counter-coup in Venezuela

A year after his political opponents tried to overthrow him, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro maneuvered to take back power Sunday. Security forces blocked opposition leader Juan Guaidó and other lawmakers from the National Assembly while Maduro’s Socialist Party appointed Luis Parra as the new speaker of the legislative body. Hours later, a majority of the legislators held an impromptu session at the headquarters of an opposition newspaper to elect Guaidó to a second term as speaker.

Who is actually in power? In January 2019, Guaidó invoked a clause in the Venezuelan Constitution to become interim president after irregularities in a 2018 election. The United States and 50 other countries have recognized Guaidó’s presidency, but the powerful Venezuelan military has supported Maduro. The United States, the European Union, and other nations criticized Maduro’s latest move and reiterated their support for the interim leader.

Dig deeper: Read editor in chief Marvin Olasky’s report in WORLD Magazine on refugees who fled the Venezuelan crisis.