MEXICO CITY, Dec 23 Venezuelan opposition assembly votes to liquidate self-proclaimed government led by Juan Guaido, the draft «law» they have passed will have a second discussion.
«With 72 votes, the proposal of the Primero Justicia, Accion Democratica, UNT and MPV factions, which implies the liquidation of the provisional government … The National Parliament will convene a regular session for a second discussion,» reads a blog post from the opposition assembly, which since last year works in parallel with the official parliament.
Opposition leaders said on the eve of the vote that the resignation of the interim government is overdue, as the structure has weakened and is not fulfilling its tasks. At the same time, the current leaders of PDVSA Holding, which manages the Citgo enterprise in the United States seized from the government, the alternative board of directors of the country's central bank and the opposition assembly itself should retain their functions to make decisions on managing the country's foreign assets blocked due to sanctions.
In Venezuela, mass protests began in early 2019 against President Nicolás Maduro shortly after he was sworn in. Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, illegally proclaimed himself interim head of state. A number of Western countries, led by the United States, announced the recognition of Guaido. In turn, Maduro called the head of parliament a puppet of the United States. Russia, China, Turkey and a number of other countries supported Maduro as a legitimate president.
The existence of a parallel opposition government and parliament of Venezuela became possible thanks to the expropriation of the assets of the Venezuelan state, in particular, the Citgo oil refinery, which is located in the US and belonged to the state-owned PDVSA. The enterprise was handed over to the oppositionists led by Guaido and is now one of the stumbling blocks in the talks between the government and the opposition, taking place in Mexico City — the authorities call the restoration of control over the enterprise a «vital» element in continuing the dialogue.