VENEZUELA
Nobody’s Immune
Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly on Tuesday stripped opposition leader Juan Guaido of his parliamentary immunity, raising the specter of an imminent arrest.
Loyal to President Nicolas Maduro, the Constituent Assembly voted unanimously to strip Guaido of his immunity from prosecution following a Supreme Court order to do so: Guaido had ignored a warning not to leave the country while he remains under investigation, reported Germany-based Deutsche Welle.
It’s not clear if Maduro will seek his arrest – not least because of the public outcry likely to result. Under Venezuela’s constitution, the opposition-controlled National Assembly would have to approve the decision to strip Guaido of his immunity to make it valid.
Since declaring himself president on the grounds that Maduro’s recent re-election was a farce, Guaido has been recognized as the country’s legitimate leader by roughly 50 countries around the world.
Following the loss of his immunity, he dismissed the high court and Constituent Assembly as Maduro’s stooges, and continued his calls for the president to step down.
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