Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lays a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu). PA Images. All rights reserved. An already volatile political situation in Venezuela escalated on January 23, as opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president of the embattled South American country.
The move by Guaidó, who was head of the National Assembly when its legislative power was transferred to a new Supreme Justice Tribunal packed with lawmakers loyal to incumbent Nicolás Maduro in 2017, has led to domestic unrest and international divisions.
As head of the circumscribed former legislature, the US, Canada and some major Latin American economies - Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Chile - have recognised Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
