Venezuela’s Maduro refuses to step down

YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said he is not going to resign, Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN) quoted the president as he addressed the Supreme Court on Thursday, TASS reports.

“I will never give up on commitments to the homeland, I will never do this”, Maduro said.

He was inaugurated for the second term on January 10. The US and the Lima Group countries with the exception of Mexico refused to recognize Maduro’s re-election.

On January 23, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guiado declared himself acting president during an opposition rally in Caracas. Venezuela's incumbent President Nicolas Maduro described these developments as an attempted coup organized by Washington and said he was breaking diplomatic ties with the US.

The Lima Group member-countries, except for Mexico, as well as Albania, Georgia, the US and the Organization of American States (OAS) have already recognized Guiado as Venezuela's interim president.

Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and Turkey expressed their support for Maduro.