Caracas, March 29
Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido will be barred from public office for 15 years, the government comptroller said on Thursday, as it seeks to crack down on the US-backed rival to President Nicolas Maduro.
Guaido has been recognised as the head of state by most Western countries after invoking the constitution to assume the interim presidency, arguing Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate and that he became a usurper when his second term began in January.
Maduro dismisses Guaido's claim to the presidency as a Washington-backed effort to seize power in Venezuela, which is struggling under hyperinflation and crippling blackouts that have left millions of citizens without power this month. Venezuela's comptroller, Elvis Amoroso, said Guaido had failed to explain how he paid for foreign trips since joining the opposition-run legislature. Last month, Guaido toured South American nations to drum up diplomatic support for pushing Maduro from power. Amoroso in February had launched an audit of Guaido for alleged lies in his personal financial disclosures and receiving funds from unauthorised sources. Guaido at a rally called Amoroso's announcement void, saying he lacks legitimacy. "The only body that can appoint a comptroller is the legitimate parliament," he said. The US government, which has backed Guaido and disavowed Maduro, also dismissed the decision. "That's rich and that's ridiculous," said State Department spokesman Robert Palladino. — Reuters
Recognised by most Western countries
Guaido has been recognised as the head of state by most Western countries after invoking the constitution to assume the interim presidency, arguing Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate and that he became a usurper when his second term began in January.
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