"I swear to formally assume the national executive powers as acting president," Juan Guaidó told cheering crowds of protesters in Venezuela this week. Juan Guaidó's election as leader of the opposition-held National Assembly has re-energized opposition to Nicolás Maduro in a country crippled by a severe economic crisis.
Guaidó was relatively unknown until picked as the head of the legislative body just three weeks ago. He was born one of seven children in the port city of La Guaira in the state of Vargas. Guaidó was 15 years old when Nicolás Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez, came to power in 1999.
That same year heavy rains caused flash floods which swept through La Guaira, killing tens of thousands of people and destroying large swathes of the city. Guaidó and his family survived the Vargas tragedy, although people close to him reportedly say the government's ineffective response to the tragedy drove him into politics.
As a student, Guaidó protested against what he saw as Chavez's efforts to control the media when he did not renew the license of independent broadcaster Radio Caracas Television. Guaidó was a founding member of centrist political party Popular Will in 2009, along with former opposition leader Leopoldo López.
López, now under house arrest, reportedly has acted as a mentor to him. Opposition parties picked Guaidó to lead the National Assembly as a compromise candidate, and he took up his post on January 5th.
State security forces arrested Guaidó just days after his election-- but he was released from detention hours later. Since then, Guaidó's youth and background from one of Venezuela's poorest states has made it difficult for the government to paint him as a member of the country's elite.
In his first major speech to protesters, Guaidó dismissed Maduro as a "usurper" but gave little indication of his vision for Venezuela. Reports however suggest he supports the Popular Will party's policies of a market economy and greater powers for regional governments. Guaidó has called on the army to withdraw their support for Maduro, promising an amnesty for those soldiers who do so. The U.S. and most of Latin American has now recognized Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, while Russian and China still back Maduro.
In the meantime, the Maduro-installed Supreme Court of Venezuela froze Guaidó's bank accounts and revoked his passport. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela in exile (the legitimate Supreme Court operating out of Panama) has declared Guaidó the interim president of Venezuela, after Maduro was sentenced to 18 years in prison for corruption. Keep your eyes on Venezuela-- things are finally starting to happen.
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