Opposition leader Juan Guaido and a rival lawmaker, Luis Parra, both claimed to be Venezuela’s parliament speaker on Sunday following two separate votes and accusations of a “parliamentary coup”. Guaido was re-elected speaker by opposition lawmakers in a session held at a newspaper office after police blocked him from entering the National Assembly legislature.
In his absence, corruption-tainted Parra proclaimed himself speaker after claiming to have been elected with 81 votes in the 167-member chamber.
Guaido, who a year ago declared himself acting president in a challenge to socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, received the votes of around 100 lawmakers, including several forced last year into exile or to take shelter in foreign diplomatic missions due to a regime crackdown.
Guaido vowed to “enforce” the constitution in his dual role as parliament speaker and “acting president”. But in a televised address, President Maduro gave his backing to Parra as the new speaker, adding that “Guaido was kicked out of the National Assembly by the votes of his own opposition”.