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Then serving as the head honcho of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Juan Guaidó was proclaimed by the opposition in 2019 to be the interim leader of the resource-rich nation. However, despite the backing of the US and company, he was eventually kicked to the curb as his support among the public never took off. Now, the US is chiming in again.
True to form, the US once again reverted to one of its old tactics by recognizing an opposition candidate – in this case Edmundo González – as the winner of the latest Venezuela presidential election despite the official tally.
The declaration was made in a Thursday statement issued by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who cited purported «overwhelming evidence» in González’s favor before calling for a peaceful transition of power.
The US determination came after Venezuela’s Electoral Council declared incumbent President Nicolás Maduro the victor, and has since triggered flashbacks going back to the days of then US-backed challenger Juan Guaidó’s and his efforts to contest election results.
Maduro has since called for an investigation into the election interference claims, but only time will tell if González is ultimately chased away by the locals and booted from office.
