Juan Guaidó
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
Juan Guaidó | |
|---|---|
| File:Juan Guaidó restored version.jpg | |
| Acting President of Venezuela Disputed | |
| Assumed office 11 January 2019 Disputed with President Nicolás Maduro | |
| Preceded by | Nicolás Maduro |
| 10th President of the National Assembly of Venezuela | |
| Assumed office 5 January 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Omar Barboza |
| Federal Deputy for Vargas | |
| Assumed office 5 January 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez 28 July 1983 La Guaira, Venezuela |
| Political party | Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) |
| Spouse | Fabiana Rosales[1] |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Education | Andrés Bello Catholic University George Washington University |
| Profession | Engineer |
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983)[2] is a Venezuelan engineer and politician currently serving as the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, in office since January 2019.[3] A member of the Popular Will party, he also serves as a federal deputy representing the state of Vargas.
He was declared the interim President of Venezuela on 11 January 2019 by the National Assembly upon Nicolás Maduro being sworn in for a second term as President, though Maduro is still believed to be in power.[4]
Early education and activism
Guaidó earned his high school diploma in the year 2000 after living through the Vargas tragedy of 1999,[2] which likely influenced his politics, the new Chávez government not giving support.[5] He then later earned his professional license as an industrial engineer after graduating from the Andrés Bello Catholic University in 2007.
He was part of a student-led political movement that protested against the Venezuelan government's decision not to renew the broadcasting license of independent television network RCTV.[6] The group also protested broader attempted reforms of the government by Hugo Chavez's regime, including the constitutional referendum of 2007.[7]
Guaidó, along with political figures like Leopoldo López, became founding members of the Popular Will political party in 2009.[8]
Venezuelan National Assembly
In the 2010 parliamentary elections, Guaidó was elected to a seat as an alternate federal deputy, [9] and was elected to a full seat in the National Assembly in the 2015 elections by earning 97,492 votes (26.01%) of the vote.[10][11] Despite being severely impoverished, a majority of employers in Vargas are government companies, and so until Guaidó's 2015 election the Chavist rule hadn't been challenged there.[5]
In the National Assembly, Guaidó has been working on investigating corruption cases from the Maduro administration, as well as operating alongside independent organizations to return money stolen from Venezuela.[5]
President of the Assembly
Guaidó was elected President of the National Assembly of Venezuela in December 2018, and was sworn in on 5 January 2019. Upon taking office, he vowed to oppose Nicolás Maduro, who has been accused of wanting to usurp executive power by remaining in office past the expiration of his presidential term, set to expire on 10 January 2019.[12][13] Several Latin American leaders have called for Maduro to turn executive power over to the National Assembly at the end of his term in office, and for new elections to be held in an attempt to restore democracy.[14]
Assumption of Presidency
After what he and others described as the "illegitimate" inauguration of Maduro on 10 January 2019, Guaidó announced he would challenge Maduro's claim and held a rally the following day, where the National Assembly announced he had assumed office as President and they would continue to plan to remove Maduro, contributing to the Presidential crisis. Guaidó's ascension was supported most prominently by the Organization of American States.[15][16][17]
References
- ^ "Venezuela's congress names new leader, vows to battle Maduro". Kansas.com. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Diputado por Vargas Juan Guaidó" (in Spanish). Popular Will Party. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Smith, Scott (5 January 2019). "Venezuela's congress names new leader, vows to battle Maduro". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Opposition-controlled Venezuela legislature calls for protest to oust Maduro". France 24. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Zubillaga, Guillermo (9 January 2019). "Meet the New Face of Venezuela's Opposition". www.americasquarterly.org. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Juan Guaidó, el presidente más joven de la Asamblea que deberá tomar la decisión más difícil" (in Spanish). NTN 24. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Quién es Juan Guaidó, el nuevo presidente del Parlamento venezolano que desafía a Nicolás Maduro" (in Spanish). Clarin. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Voluntad Popular will propose Juan Guaidó as president of the National Assembly and ratifies his ignorance of Nicolás Maduro". Voluntad Popular. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Rodriguez Rosas, Ronny (20 December 2018). "Voluntad Popular confirma que propondrá a Juan Guaidó para presidir la AN en 2019" (in Spanish). Efecto Cocuyo. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Diputado Juan Guaidó ingresó al Palacio Federal Legislativo en compañía de su familia #5Ene" (in Spanish). El Impulso. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "ELECCIONES A LA ASAMBLEA NACIONAL 2015" (in Spanish). National Electoral Council of Venezuela. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ France-Presse, Agence (5 January 2019). "Venezuela's parliament rejects legitimacy of Maduro second term". ABS CBN News. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Smith, Scott (5 January 2019). "Venezuela's congress names new leader, vows to battle Maduro". ABC News. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Buitrago, Deisy (5 January 2019). "New Venezuela congress chief says Maduro will be usurper president". Reuters. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (11 January 2019). "Venezuela: opposition leader declares himself ready to assume presidency". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Juan Guaidó: Me apego a los artículos 333, 350 y 233 para lograr el cese de la usurpación y convocar elecciones libres con la unión del pueblo, FAN y comunidad internacional". Asamblea Nacional de Venezuela. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Parallel govt emerging in Venezuela". Argus Media. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.