UK Foreign Secretary Backs Guaido as 'Right Person to Take Venezuela Forward'

Sputnik News

20:16 24.01.2019(updated 20:37 24.01.2019)

LONDON (Sputnik) - UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Thursday that Nicolas Maduro was not a legitimate leader of Venezuela and the country should be led by speaker of the opposition parliament Juan Guaido.

"We are extremely concerned about the situation in Venezuela, but it is clear that Nicholas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela", Hunt said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.

According to Hunt, the presidential election in Venezuela in May 2018 was "deeply flawed" as "there were counting irregularities and the opposition was banned."

"This regime has done untold damage to the people of Venezuela, 10 percent of the population have left Venezuela such is the misery they are suffering. So the United Kingdom believes Juan Guaido is the right person to take Venezuela forward. We are supporting the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina to make that happen", he stressed.

Over the past few days, Venezuela has been witnessing mass anti-government protests. On Tuesday, the opposition-run Venezuelan National Assembly adopted a statement declaring Maduro a usurper. On Wednesday, Guaido proclaimed himself the country's interim president at a mass rally in Caracas.

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