Political turmoil: Who was Venezuela's Guaidó, and what became of him?

In January 2019, Juan Guaidó, the President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself "interim president" during anti-government protests in the country, backed by the United States and Europe. Addressing the public, Guaidó called for support, stating, "We know this is not a one-person job, and it will have consequences. Will we tire? No. We will resist until we achieve democracy and freedom."

The first to recognize Guaidó as president was then-U.S. President Donald Trump. Leaders from across the region quickly followed suit, lining up behind Trump like beads on a string. Countries such as Canada, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Guatemala all recognized Guaidó as Venezuela’s "interim president." Israel also joined in, with Guaidó expressing special thanks to Netanyahu for recognizing his self-declared interim presidency. This was significant, as diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Israel had been severed in 2013 by the late President Hugo Chávez.

A new model of coup attempts was unfolding in global politics. It appeared to be civilian-led and non-military, yet it was different—a more advanced stage of revolution. External powers, dissatisfied with President Nicolás Maduro, who had recently won elections, had thrown their support behind the young Juan Guaidó, declaring him the legitimate president.

Venezuela, once one of the wealthiest nations in the region, had seen its society and economy collapse in just a few years due to epidemics, violent crime, and corruption. The country had shrunk by 50%, and despite its vast underground resources, particularly oil, it could no longer sustain itself. It had become a nation plagued by poverty, inequality, and instability, unable to recover from the post-Chávez crisis. Caught between the U.S. and Russia, Venezuela’s rich oil reserves were at the center of the struggle.

The international community, led by the U.S., refused to accept Maduro’s second-term inauguration on January 10, 2019. The political crisis gave rise to two parallel legislative bodies: the Constituent Assembly, which supported Maduro, and the National Assembly, backed by the U.S., along with opposition leader Guaidó, who declared himself interim president on the streets.

The European Union also got involved, with countries like the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Latvia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Portugal recognizing Guaidó as the "interim president." All eyes were on the 35-year-old leader appointed by global powers. Guaidó, now the new face on screens, was rising rapidly, backed by the U.S. and President Trump. Despite coming from a poor family, he had studied industrial engineering in Venezuela and earned a master’s in public administration from George Washington University, one of America’s most prestigious institutions.

Just three weeks earlier, Guaidó had been an ordinary politician, elected as the National Assembly president with the support of opposition parties. Now, he was in the streets, calling on the military to stage a coup amid escalating anti-Maduro protests. He urged the public to take to the streets on January 23, 2019, and sent messages to foreign governments, asking them to recognize him as the legitimate president instead of Maduro.

Guaidó even posted a video on Twitter from near La Carlota Air Base in Caracas, surrounded by a group of soldiers, attempting to launch a coup in real-time. Meanwhile, military vehicles were seen blocking roads in the capital. However, things did not go as planned. Venezuela’s Defense Minister declared the military’s loyalty to Maduro, thwarting the coup attempt. Maduro thanked the military for their discipline and loyalty in suppressing the uprising.

Despite the U.S. administration’s full support for Guaidó and his supporters, the coup attempt failed, much like the events of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye. Venezuela entered a period of suspended coup attempts, with Trump remaining determined.

Guaidó continued his street-level efforts, declaring, "All 24 states of the country have taken to the streets; this is a point of no return. The future is ours." At the end of April 2019, he made another attempt with a group of loyal soldiers, but it also failed. That same day, then-White House National Security Advisor John Bolton stated, "We have been planning for the day after Maduro for some time."

But it didn’t happen. The calculations didn’t add up. Unable to secure the necessary military support, Guaidó and the U.S. shifted tactics, attempting to build a new political foundation. The opposition, through a parallel vote outside the parliament, declared Guaidó president again. Emboldened, Guaidó formed a cabinet with other opposition figures.

A few months later, he found himself at the White House, where Trump welcomed the young leader from the oil-rich nation. However, the momentum didn’t last. Spain was the first to withdraw its recognition of Guaidó, and other supporters followed suit. While the U.S. insisted it would not change its stance, Trump’s departure marked Guaidó’s exit from the stage.

Meanwhile, no evidence of irregularities surfaced. The Washington Post reported that a company supporting Guaidó had allegedly extorted money from two businessmen in the U.S. to fund efforts to overthrow Maduro.

Guaidó eventually sought refuge in the U.S. Elections were held in Venezuela, and Maduro was re-elected. The Attorney General’s office issued an arrest warrant for Guaidó.

Once marketed as a young, idealist, rising star and a beacon of hope from South America, Guaidó became a symbol of imperialism’s failed interventionist tactics. I scoured the archives. Even if Trump, the man who brought him to the world stage, were to return, there’s hardly a noteworthy headline about Guaidó.

As the world’s political alignment shifts, the liberal political order is crumbling. Even globalists are changing their rhetoric. Otherwise, the United States would not have said, "Turkey’s internal affairs do not concern us," in response to Ekrem İmamoğlu’s detention over bribery, corruption, and terrorism investigations. Clearly, they would have loudly opposed operations crossing borders, expressed concerns, and deemed it unacceptable.

Note: While writing this article, I referenced Hüsamettin Aslan’s 2019 piece for Anadolu Agency titled "The Anatomy of the Crisis in Venezuela."