My duty is to call for free elections because there is an abuse of power, and we live in a dictatorship.
Juan Guaido
If we look at the day-to-day suffering of the Venezuelan people, that's not about numbers: it's about human beings.
I was 15 when Hugo Chavez came to power in 1998. At the time, I lived in Vargas State, which borders the Caribbean. In 1999, torrential rains caused flash floods that left thousands of people dead. I lost several friends, and my school was buried in the mudslide. The importance of resilience has been etched into my soul ever since.
I personally don't believe that Russia and China are on Maduro's side - they are simply protecting their investments here in Venezuela.
In Venezuela, we either accept domination, total oppression and torture... from Maduro's regime, or we choose freedom, democracy, and prosperity for our people.
Maduro distanced himself from democracy. He deconstructed the entire judiciary and blocked parliamentary processes.
It's important to remember that a dictator will not freely relinquish power after having hijacked the constitution and ruled with threats and promises. Sometimes it is necessary to put enough pressure on him that he leaves.
The most important element for any economy is confidence.
We will stay in the streets until we have freedom for Venezuela.
The sanctions have been a key element in making sure that those who have violated human rights and are guilty of corruption have a clear consequence to their actions. They have also been key to helping protect the assets of the Venezuelan people.
Maduro has placed himself above the Constitution, but only the Venezuelan people can be above it.
In Venezuela, we have movement for freedom, for democracy, that has taken years and sacrifice to build, and a majority through protests to win elections to align ourselves with the world that recognizes the fight for democracy in Venezuela.
No one is willing to sacrifice themselves for Maduro or take up arms to fight for him.
Today, January 23, 2019, I swear to formally assume the powers of the national executive as president in charge of Venezuela.
This is how dictatorships always behave: they deny reality; they deny crises.
We will fight back until we have democracy.
The very act of protest is dangerous in Venezuela.
We know that Maduro's armies are riddled with persecution, torture, threats, and wrongful arrests.
I swear to formally assume the national executive powers as acting president.
Doing politics in Venezuela is a risk, and you can pay with your life.
Venezuelans live on 3 dollars a month. That's a tragedy. That is impossible to survive under these conditions.
Let's swear as brothers that we won't rest until we gain freedom.
We remain cohesive and mobilized and united because this is our goal - to rebuild Venezuela.
The exercise of politics is criminalized in Venezuela.
Venezuela has immense talents and resources, and we can help rebuild our democracy.
I've been getting calls from childhood friends who left the country and who tell me they finally have hope that they will return, and they tell me they will use everything they have learned living abroad to rebuild the country.
To achieve a successful transition, we don't just have to remove Maduro. We also have to rescue our institutions themselves. That's why we have set out three phases: ending Maduro's usurpation of power, implementing a transition government, and holding free elections.
My ascension as interim president is based on Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution, according to which, if at the outset of a new term there is no elected head of state, power is vested in the president of the National Assembly until free and transparent elections take place.
I would like to be clear about the situation in Venezuela: Mr. Maduro's re-election on May 20, 2018, was illegitimate, as has since been acknowledged by a large part of the international community.
A pattern has developed under the Maduro regime. When pressure builds, the first recourse is to repress and persecute. I know this because buckshot pellets fired by members of the armed forces - at peaceful protesters in 2017 - remain lodged in my own body. A minor price to pay compared to the sacrifices made by some of my compatriots.
As president of the National Assembly, I am fully able and willing to assume the office of the presidency on an interim basis to call for free and fair elections.
President Trump's leadership has been very important to this effort of restoring democracy to Venezuela.
I sleep placidly.
All those who talk about democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, of human rights, of the fight against corruption are, I believe, important allies.
