17-01-2019: Latin American Weekly Report

The president of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled national assembly, Juan Guaidó, is making a concerted effort to topple President Nicolás Maduro. Guaidó is ratcheting up the pressure on Maduro, pushing through legislation accusing him of usurping the presidency, and an ‘amnesty law’ urging the military to uphold the constitution and remove him from power. Guaidó has firm backing from many governments in the region, as well as the US, but they are little more than cheerleaders around an uneven playing field. The principal players are on the government’s side: the military is professing unswerving loyalty, and the supreme court (TSJ) is taking steps to countermand the legislation and proceed to prosecute those behind it.