Bogota - Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan
Guaido on Tuesday challenged authorities to arrest him after the
Constituent Assembly loyal to President Nicolas Maduro stripped him
of his parliamentary immunity.
"If the regime dares to kidnap me and carry out a coup, we will
respond forcefully," Guaido tweeted after Constituent Assembly
President Diosdado Cabello announced the chamber's decision.
"We have already spoken with world leaders. The usurpers don't want
to test the resolution of the international community," Guaido added.
The Constituent Assembly was created by Maduro in 2017 in a bid to
usurp power from the National Assembly.
"[Guaido's prosecution] is officially authorized," Cabello, who is
also Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's right-hand man, said
following the Constituent Assembly vote.
Guaido, the head of the National Assembly, has been engaged in a
power struggle with Maduro since January, when he declared himself
president and was immediately recognized by the United States and
dozens of other countries.
The Constituent Assembly was created by Maduro in 2017 in a bid to
usurp power from the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
Flouting a travel ban imposed by the country's Supreme Court, Guaido
embarked on a tour of Latin American countries in February in a bid
to rally support for his leadership.
Despite threats to arrest him on his return in early March, he was
allowed to pass through Caracas airport and go free.
On Monday, Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno said he had referred
the matter of Guaido's immunity to the the Constituent Assembly and
Attorney General Tarek William Saab.
Maduro, who was re-elected last year in a disputed election, has
presided over a complete economic collapse and humanitarian crisis in
Venezuela.
The country has also suffered a series of blackouts in recent weeks,
which have left some parts without running water and caused further
food and medicine shortages.