Venezuela’s Top Court Stripped Guaido Of Immunity

© Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
(Pictured) Supporters of the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country’s interim ruler, take part in a rally to demand President Nicolas Maduro to allow humanitarian aid to enter the country

Before we get to the court stripping, just a bit of history to Venezuela’s political turmoil which has further deepened amid growing tension over President Nicolas Maduro’s future as the country’s leader. Maduro started a second term on January 10, following a widely boycotted election last year that many foreign governments refused to recognize. On January 23, Juan Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself the interim president.

The top court in Venezuela has called for the ruling Constituent Assembly to strip all parliamentary immunity from the opposition leader Juan Guaido on Monday, April 1. This decision from the Supreme Court of Justice can definitely pave the way for President Nicholas Maduro to have his most fierce rival, Guaido, who has been recognized by over 50 countries as the interim president, to be charged and prosecuted.

Guaido’s violation of a ban on his travel outside of Venezuela was cited as the reason for the court’s decision. Guaido traveled to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay some in February and March.

This decision has come at a point when Maduro and Guaido are locked in a battle for the leader of the oil-rich country, which in recent times is facing an economic and politically crippling and deepening crisis.

This battle has escalated into what can be called a geopolitical struggle, as countries such as the United States of America and its allies lend support behind Guaido and Cuba, China and Russia consistently back Maduro.

Maduro, although extremely unpopular in his own country, has the upper hand due to the loyalty of the military chiefs and even more recently the presence of the 100 Russian soldiers in the country that is on a downward trajectory of economic chaos.

Maduro, who has heeded U.S. warnings, so far, not to arrest Guaido under threat of unspecified repercussions, appears nonetheless much more confident since Moscow’s overt protection.