Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has announced that on January 5, 2023, he will convene a session of the National Assembly elected at the end of 2015, considered for the last few years as a counterweight to Chavismo and of which he still considers himself president.
The opposition considers this Parliament the only legitimate authority in the country and, in fact, Guaidó self-proclaimed himself ‘president in charge’ of Venezuela in January 2019 by asserting the headship of said Assembly, in a move that to this day continues to be endorsed by countries such as the United States.
Facing the new year, he wants to take «a key step in defense of democracy» by recovering a symbol of «resistance». In this sense, he has stressed in a public appearance that the National Assembly controlled by the opposition will remain in force until there are free elections, although ‘de facto’ another one elected four years later and controlled by Chavism is operating.
Guaidó has claimed this Monday the unity of the opposition as an instrument to confront the government of Nicolás Maduro, whom he challenges to call presidential elections as soon as possible. «My greatest responsibility is to consolidate unity,» he has stressed, according to his office.
The opposition leader is in favor of a primary process to choose a single candidate for future electoral processes, with the aim of having more options against Maduro. The majority opposition refused to participate in the last presidential elections, considering that there were no minimum democratic guarantees.
