Juan Guaidó 
Image by Alexcocopro

Overcoming an attempt by Maduro loyalists in Caracas to prevent opposition leader Juan Guaido from becoming speaker of the Venezuelan parliament, the young leader was sworn in outside the parliament building by a quorum of opposition legislators.

At a session outside the parliamentary building on Sunday, part of parliamentarians from the Venezuelan National Assembly declared opposition leader Juan Guaido as Speaker, private VPI television channel broadcast, reported Russian state news agency TASS.

Juan Pablo Guanipa and Carlos Berrizbeitia were appointed his deputies. The private television said Guaido was supported by 100 out of 167 parliamentarians. The session of opposition parliamentarians took place at the editorial office of El Nacional newspaper.

"We witnessed an unsuccessful action carried out today by officials of the regime to prevent parliamentarians from entering the building of the National Assembly," Guaido told the session. "The dictatorship has made another political blunder - 26 or 29 parliamentarians were present [at the session in the parliamentary building].

Russia has been actively supporting the Maduro regime to maintain access to the American hemisphere as well as to protect investments in Venezuelan oil and gas. Moscow recently flew long-range nuclear bombers to the Venezuelan capital and openly discussed establishing a Russian air base in the region, on Washington's doorstep.

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