Venezuela opposition leader and rival both claim speaker role

Venezuela’s US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó and rival Luis Parra both declared themselves speaker of the national assembly on 5 January.
Guaidó was aiming to be re-elected to the post, but was stopped by security forces from entering parliament, together with other MPs. A video showed him trying to climb an iron fence to get into the building, after his plea was rejected.
Before the vote, Guaidó accused the government of bribing politicians to thwart his re-election.
Last year, after disputing president Nicolas Maduro‘s 2018 re-election, Guaidó proclaimed himself the country’s interim president, and was backed by almost 60 countries, including the EU, the US and UK.
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Bolivia’s interim president Jeanin Anez congratulated Guaido, while Venezuelan foreign minister Jorge Arreaza described the event as another attempt by the US “to impose fake governments”.
“I congratulate Juan Guaidó on his re-election as president of the Venezuelan National Assembly and condemn the failed efforts of the former Maduro regime to negate the will of the democratically-elected National Assembly”, Pompeo said.
“The dictatorship has once again committed another mistake”, Guaidó said.
Since the crisis, Venezuela suffers inflation and shortages of gasoline, running water and electricity. Some 4.5 million Venezuelans have abandoned the country.