Julio Borges, senior leader of the Venezuelan opposition and chief diplomat of the so-called "provisional government" led by Guaido, announced on the 5th that he would resign and withdraw from the Venezuelan opposition coalition. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that this US-backed Venezuelan opposition political group is on the verge of division.
In Colombia's capital Bogotá, Borges called out to the opposition via video, saying that the "interim government" led by Guaido had lost its "legitimacy" and calling for an end to Guaido's "leadership" . "The concept of a 'provisional government' must disappear." Borges said he would resign as chief diplomat of the "interim government" and that "we can no longer act in this 'bureaucracy'." ”
Screenshot of the Wall Street Journal report
Mr. Borges criticized Guaido and other opposition groups for spending their days "not doing the right thing" and not thinking about how to "confront Maduro" and instead spending their time figuring out how to deal with Venezuelan state assets they control, "which is a shame." Now, he claimed, they need to reorganize a new "opposition movement" and develop a "clearer strategy."
Despite their long-standing differences, Guaido's self-proclaimed "interim president" with the support of the United States in 2019 has "united" against Maduro.
But questions about how to handle the roughly $10 billion in Venezuelan state assets controlled by the opposition coalition eventually sparked opposition infighting. These assets include Venezuelan oil refiners based in the United States, gold bars worth more than $1 billion deposited at the Bank of England, and Venezuelan fertilizer plants in Colombia.
The financial problems of the opposition-controlled fertilizer plants have also sparked a "war of words" between the opposition. In October, a panel of opposition lawmakers issued a report accusing some directors from Guaido's party of trying to use the company for personal gain. But the audit committee controlled by Guaido declined to acknowledge the allegation, claiming the report was "smearing the 'interim government.'"
Guaido's team also used these state assets as a bargaining chip to shout to the United States, calling on the United States to continue to support the "interim government" led by it. They claim that if the opposition's "interim government" is not supported, maduro's government may "regain control of foreign state assets."
Borges's withdrawal was a huge blow to the opposition coalition. According to reports, Borges is one of the "most famous" senior leaders in the opposition, and also served as the president of the Venezuelan parliament from 2017 to January 2018. His party, Justice First, is also a major opposition party in Venezuela.
Julio Borges (infographic) From social media
Although U.S. policymakers have previously said that they will not suspend support for Guaido, the outside world has begun to question whether the Biden administration will continue to support Guaido. The Wall Street Journal commented that this means that the "interim government" of the US-backed Venezuelan opposition is facing disintegration.
In 2018, Venezuelan President Maduro won re-election in the election, but the opposition refused to acknowledge the result. Guaido, then-president of parliament, declared himself "interim president" in 2019 and was recognized by the United States and some of its allies. Since then, Guaido's opposition, with the support of the United States, has sought in various ways to overthrow maduro's government, but all have failed.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido from IC photo
In December 2020, Maduro's ruling coalition won 253 of the 277 seats in parliamentary elections, regaining control of parliament by absolute superiority. With Guaido's continued defeat and the weakening of the opposition, more Western countries began to abandon this so-called "provisional government." In January, the European Union announced that it would no longer recognize Guaido as "interim president."
The Wilson Center, a U.S. think tank, has previously issued a report saying that of the more than 50 countries that have supported Guaido in the past, less than 10 countries, including the United States, still recognize Guaido as the so-called "interim president."
Guaido's approval rating has also steadily declined due to the inability to deliver on its "promises.". Citing poll results, guaido's approval rating has now fallen to around 15 percent. In Venezuela's local elections in November, Maduro's ruling party defeated the "out-of-the-box" opposition, winning 205 of the country's 335 cities and taking 18 of the 23 states.
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