Major European nations recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president; Russia slams move as ‘interference’

Germany, Spain, Britain, Austria, Sweden and Denmark recognised Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela on Monday while France said he had the right to organise an election given the socialist government’s refusal.

The coordinated move from major European nations came after the expiry of an eight-day deadline they set last weekend for President Nicolas Maduro to call a new vote.

Russia slammed the European countries’ actions, describing them as attempts to interfere in Venezuela’s domestic affairs.

Maduro, accused of running the OPEC nation like a dictatorship and wrecking its economy, has defied the European nations’ deadline, saying that their ruling elite are sycophantically following United States’ President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Guaido, who leads the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself temporary leader last month in a move that has split global powers.

Trump immediately recognised him and European Union nations back Guaido, though some have been nervous over the global precedent of a self-declaration.

Russia and China, who have poured billions of dollars of investment and loans into the OPEC nation, are supporting Maduro.

“I recognise the president of Venezuela’s assembly, Mr Juan Guaido, as president in charge of Venezuela,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised statement, urging a free and fair election as soon as possible.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt followed suit.

“Nicolas Maduro has not called presidential elections within 8-day limit we have set,” Hunt said on Twitter. “So UK alongside European allies now recognises @jguaido as interim constitutional president until credible elections can be held.”

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French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Inter radio station Guaido has “the capacity and the legitimacy” to organise a presidential election. Le Drian said France would consult European partners over Venezuela, and that it was imperative the conflict was resolved peacefully and civil war avoided.

In Tokyo, visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: “As of yesterday, no presidential election had been called. Therefore, Guaido is the person we are talking to and we expect him to begin an election process as soon as possible.”

“He is the legitimate interim president for this task from Germany’s point of view and from the point of view of several European countries,” she said.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “attempts to legitimise usurped power” constituted “interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs”.

Such interference, he added, could not facilitate the “peaceful, effective and lasting settlement of the crisis the Venezuelans are going through”.

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Peskov reiterated Moscow’s position that only the people of Venezuela could solve the crisis “which they should get through on their own”. He declined to say on what terms Russia could recognise Guaido as interim leader

Maduro, 56, a former union leader, bus driver and foreign leader, replaced former leader Hugo Chavez in 2013 after his death from cancer. But he has presided over an economic collapse and exodus of 3 million Venezuelans.

He blames a US-led “economic war” and also accuses Washington of seeking a coup against him. But critics say incompetent policies and corruption have gutted a once-wealthy nation while dissent has been brutally crushed.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse