Venezuela, which has been enduring a long-standing economic crisis, is now in the midst of a crisis of leadership. On Wednesday, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, declared himself the country’s “interim president,” until elections can be held, during a mass rally against the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Guaidó’s position as the new leader of Venezuela was quickly recognized by the United States, Brazil, Canada, and several Latin American nations. However, Maduro says he is not leaving, and he has the support of the Venezuelan military. Maduro also retaliated by breaking off relations with the United States, his biggest trade partner, and by giving U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave the country. Protests flared up in Venezuela and other countries, among a widespread Venezuelan diaspora, calling for Maduro to step down, with some demonstrations in Caracas ending in violence. What comes next remains uncertain, as President Donald Trump has said “all options are on the table” regarding Maduro, and anti-government protests continue in Venezuela’s streets.
Photos: A Venezuelan Opposition Leader Declares Himself ‘Interim President’
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Opposition supporters take part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government and to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the end of the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 23, 2019. #
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An anti-government protester covers her face with a Venezuelan flag and uses toothpaste around her eyes to help lessen the effect of tear gas during clashes with security forces after a rally demanding the resignation of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 23, 2019. #
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Opposition supporters carry letters that form the word democracy while taking part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government in Caracas on January 23, 2019. #
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Juan Guaidó, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly, holds a copy of the Venezuelan constitution during a rally against President Nicolás Maduro's government in Caracas on January 23, 2019. #
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Anti-government protesters hold their hands up while listening to Juan Guaidó, the head of the opposition-run congress, during a rally demanding President Nicolás Maduro's resignation in Caracas on January 23, 2019. #
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Juan Guaidó, the president of the National Assembly, raises his hand and declares himself interim president of Venezuela in front of hundreds of Venezuelans during a mass rally in Caracas on January 23, 2019. #
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People raise their hands during a mass opposition rally against President Nicolás Maduro, in which Venezuela's National Assembly head, Juan Guaidó, declared himself the country's "acting president," on January 23, 2019. "I swear to formally assume the national executive powers as acting president of Venezuela, to end the usurpation, [install] a transitional government, and hold free elections," Guaidó said as thousands of supporters cheered. #
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Anti-government protesters cheer as Juan Guaidó declares himself interim president of Venezuela until a new election can be called, at a rally demanding the resignation of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 23, 2019. #
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In São Paulo, Brazil, Venezuelan anti-government protesters hold their national flag as they block traffic during a demonstration on January 23, 2019. Venezuelan immigrants in Brazil held a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and in favor of Juan Guaidó. #
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Venezuelan police block the Simón Bolívar International Bridge as Venezuelans coming from the Colombian border city of Cúcuta take part in a protest against Venezuelan President Maduro on January 23, 2019. #
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Thousands of Venezuelans living in Argentina opposed to President Nicolás Maduro hold a demonstration in Buenos Aires in support of the opposition leader Juan Guaidó's self-proclamation as acting president of Venezuela on January 23, 2019. #
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In Madrid, Spain, people gather during a protest against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro on January 23, 2019. Around 7,000 protesters, according to organizers, gathered in a central square of the Spanish capital, where a significant Venezuelan community has grown in recent years as people flee persecution or poverty at home. #
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Thousands of Venezuelans living in Chile arrive at Plaza Baquedano to show their support for the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as Venezuela's interim president on January 23, 2019, in Santiago, Chile. #
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In Caracas, Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro speaks to supporters from a balcony at the Miraflores presidential palace on January 23, 2019. After the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president, Maduro responded by cutting off diplomatic relations with the United States and said American diplomats had 72 hours to leave the country. #
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In a handout photo, Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, next to his wife, Cilia Flores, waves a flag before supporters at a rally in support of his government in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 23, 2019. #
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A vehicle is overturned as opposition demonstrators block a freeway during a protest against the government of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 23, 2019. #
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Riot police clash with opposition demonstrators on January 23, 2019, during an anti-Maduro protest on the anniversary of the 1958 uprising that overthrew the military dictatorship in Caracas. #
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The remains of a statue of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chávez hang from a pedestrian bridge after the statue was destroyed in San Felix, Venezuela, on January 23, 2019. #
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