Pence asks UN to recognize Guaido as Venezuelan leader

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence urged the UN on Wednesday to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.

The U.S. was the first nation to recognize Guaido just hours after he declared himself the Latin American nation's interim president in January. The Organization of American States regional bloc and 54 countries followed suit, including most in the region.

"It’s time for the United Nations to speak," Pence told the Security Council. "Now that nations across this hemisphere have spoken, the time has come for the United Nations to recognize Interim President Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body."

Pence demanded the UN to revoke the credentials of Venezuela's UN envoy, Samuel Moncada, and instead seat Guaido's representative "without delay."

"With all due respect, Mr. Ambassador, you shouldn't be here," Pence said. "You should return to Venezuela and tell Nicolas Maduro that his time is up. It’s time for him to go."

Pence was referring to the Venezuelan president who has insisted he is the target of U.S.-orchestrated coup attempt and has refused calls to cede power.

Moncada, previously said the U.S. is aiming to expel representatives of Venezuela from international bodies and impose people "that we are not sure whom they represent exactly.”

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since January, when Maduro was sworn in for a second term and Guaido declared himself leader days later.

Venezuela has been in the throes of humanitarian and economic crises amid the political deadlock between Guaido and Maduro as Washington has ramped up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Venezuelan president, including sanctioning of his state-run oil company, in a bid to get him to relinquish power.

The political stalemate comes as Venezuela grapples with a worsening economic crisis that has led to acute shortages of goods and which has repeatedly resulted in widespread power outages.

The Venezuelan economy has been in precipitous decline following a global downturn in the price of crude oil, the country's main export.