MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump would recognize Guaidó as president of Venezuela; Protests increase

Some pockets of protests began in the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, killing four people, reports the AFP news agency.

US President Donald Trump would be ready to recognize the opposition leader and president of the National Assembly (AN) of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, as the legitimate president of Venezuela after his probable inauguration on Wednesday, according to CNN sources.

The Venezuelan opposition has called for demonstrations across the country denouncing Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in on his second term on January 10, as an illegitimate president. Dozens of countries and international organizations are unaware of its mandate and already sources close to Trump announced that it would recognize Guaidó, a measure that could bear consequences that sanction the oil country to conduct commercial transactions of crude oil with the United States. UU., Depending on Maduro's response.

Although the US administration previously expressed its support for Guaidó and the National Assembly, which has an opposition majority and whose actions have been repeatedly annulled by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), Guaidó has not been sworn in as president of the Republic despite the fact that a series of articles in the constitution of that country legitimates him. The parliamentarian is expected to assume the presidency on Wednesday in an act that takes place in Caracas.

A CNN source from the US Congress familiar with the issue indicates that it will come from the hand of other Latin American allies, of which a good portion, members of the Lima Group - except Mexico -, already indicated that they did not recognize the second term of Maduro.

“Any decision of the AN or of an organ against what has been decided here will be null and void, the AN expressly violates the Constitution,” announced on Tuesday the president of the TSJ, Judge Juan José Mendoza. “This room ratifies the unconstitutional actions Perpetrated by the Legislative Power, the Public Prosecutor's Office is urged to immediately take action,” he said.

So far, demonstrations have been held throughout the country. All are peaceful except for a rally called in El Paraíso, Caracas, where members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) repress with tear gas and tanks a group of opposition demonstrators, according to local press.

Some protests began in the afternoon and night of Tuesday, killing four people, reports the AFP news agency.

The mobilizations are given within the framework of the 61st anniversary of the fall of the dictator Marcos Pérez Giménez and the return of democracy in the Caribbean country, which is experiencing the worst economic, political and social crisis in its recent history.