FREE JUAN GUAIDO!

Carlos Sánchez Berzaín
March 28, 2019

(Interamerican Institute for Democracy) Juan Guaido is imprisoned, not physically as of yet, by the Castroist Chavist dictatorship operated by Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, and Vladimir Padrino.  It is by far more serious than that, Guaido is imprisoned by the greatest act of selfishness that the so-called political class can perpetrate against a nation that is suffering a humanitarian crisis.  Guaido is imprisoned by the “Statute for the Transition Toward Democracy” enacted by the “opposing majority” within the Venezuelan National Assembly for whom Guaido is not the President of the Republic.  The graveness of this political situation –which can no longer be hidden- makes it urgent to petition the National Assembly to free Guaido in order to liberate Venezuela.

The National Assembly recognizes Juan Guaido only as the President of the National Assembly but does not recognize him -and hinders his performance- as “The President In Charge of the Republic” in other words as the Head of the State and of the Executive Branch.  This is why it has included in Articles 7, 25, and 26 of the so-called “Statute for the Transition Toward Democracy” that there will be a President In Charge and there will be an Interim President only after “the usurpation of the Presidency of the Venezuelan Republic by Nicolas Maduro Moros has ceased”.  In other words if Nicolas Maduro does not leave, there will be neither an Interim President In Charge, nor a transitional government.

Those charged with the responsibility to enforce Article 233 of the Constitution, ignore it and have created a “power vacuum” because Venezuela has no President given that Nicolas Maduro the usurper is still there and Juan Guaido has not been and shall not be, recognized as the President In Charge “until the usurpation of the presidency by Nicolas Maduro ceases”.  This situation that by its persistence does not seem to be any longer an error, is most convenient to sustain and maintain the dictator and the dictatorship in a scenario of great deception and façade where nothing is what seems to be.

According to Article 236 of the Constitution –amongst others- the President of the Venezuelan Republic has been empowered to “direct the acts of the government”, “name and remove the Executive Vice-President, name and remove Ministers”, «direct the foreign affairs of the Republic, and celebrate and ratify treaties, agreements . . .”, «direct the National Armed Force in his capacity as the Commander In Chief and have and be empowered by the highest hierarchical authority over them and fix its contingency”, “have the supreme command of the National Armed Force, first over its officers . . .”, “manage the National Public Treasury”, “name and remove public officials” and more.  Guaido has none of those attributions because his hands are tied.

In the fight to end the usurpation of power that the de-facto dictator Maduro perpetrates, as a puppet of Castroist intervention in Venezuela, there is a need for a number of internal “governmental measures” that can only be implemented by the President In Charge along with his “Cabinet of Ministers” truly comprising a “Government”.  As head of the Republic’s Foreign Affairs, along with his Chancellor, he will be in the obligation of asking Cuba for the immediate removal of its occupation forces from Venezuelan territory and take this request to international organizations with the backing of those countries who have already recognized him, and in the case of recalcitrance or resistance to ask for and direct an “international force” to attain such purpose.

The dictatorship usurps political power through criminal acts that have taken over the military high command and that violate the Constitution, a situation that must have a beginning of resolution with the existence of a President In Charge and his Minister of Defense “removing usurped military command echelons and naming new command replacements”, “ordering the promotion of officers”, discharging duties and responsibilities as a true “Commander In Chief”.

Beside the international and military arenas, with a President In Charge, there shall be the presence of Government in all areas, from the humanitarian crisis all the way to the economy.  The minimum conditions will have to be created to ensure the recovery of individual freedoms and the liberation of all political prisoners, the return of those in exile, the recovery of the Rule of Law and the conditions to hold free, fair, and clean elections.

Freeing Guaido means to immediately allow him to be the President In Charge, to help him to put together a government of national unity, and to truly help him by setting aside the “two-faced politics”.

Freeing Guaido is, however, very dangerous because with the people’s backing, the government, and international backing he will end the dictatorship and by doing so he will consolidate his great political image.  This –in turn- will enable him to be the best candidate and that appears to be the most dangerous result for the nearly a dozen of potential candidates who now control the National Assembly and who, up to now, prefer for the dictatorship to survive, instead of Guaido to defeat it.

Published in Spanish by Infobae.com on Sunday, March 24 2019

Translated from Spanish by; Edgar L. Terrazas, member of the American Translators Association, ATA # 234680.