The United States and a dozen Latin American countries were quick to recognize Guaido, 35, after he declared himself acting president last week in a direct challenge to Maduro's authority. On Thursday, the Brussels-based European Parliament voted to accept Guaido as "legitimate interim president of the country -- and urged the European Union to follow suit. Guaido was to present his "rescue plan" for Venezuela -- mired in an economic meltdown, with basic goods and medicines scarce -- at the main university in the capital Caracas. "The conditions favor Guaido, with decisive international support headed by the United States, while the aggravated economic crisis plays into that as well," analyst Carlos Romero told AFP. Earlier this week, the United States imposed oil sanctions on Maduro's regime in an attempt to starve the government of its funding.

Source: Bangkok Post January 31, 2019 16:41 UTC