Venezuela’s top court, the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ), issued a statement today announcing that it was considering a case involving the presidency of National Assembly deputy Luis Parra, leader of a regime-backed faction of the legislature who declared himself president of parliament in a chaotic session this past January 5.
According to court chief Maikel Moreno, the TSJ will consider whether to official declare Parra the legitimate president of the legislative branch, and whether to declare that the National Assembly is no longer in contempt after ruling that it was in 2015.
If granted, the ruling would throw the weight of the regime-backed court behind Parra and his deputies who claim to represent the Venezuelan opposition, sidestepping the majority opposition faction headed by Juan Guaido.
Parra’s commitment to the opposition’s cause has come under serious question in the last several months, after it was revealed that he was part of a group of legislators who were lobbying on behalf of individuals with close ties to the Maduro regime at overseas institutions, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Colombia’s Office of the Attorney General. The corruption scheme allegedly involved abusing the good will that international organizations have for the Venezuelan opposition to launder the name of individuals with close ties to the regime, like businessman Alex Saab.
It is not clear when the TSJ will release its ruling on the matter.
Guaido Meets Macron in Paris
Juan Guaido’s European tour continued today in Paris as he met with French president Emmanuel Macron.
Below, images of the two men meeting:
Macron also tweeted about the meeting, saying that France supported a “quick organization of free and transparent presidential” elections, and that his government stood alongside the Venezuelan people:
Guaido has been in Europe for the last several days, and spoke at the World Economic Forum at Davos yesterday.
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