Venezuela Crisis Explained: Who is in Charge, Maduro or Guaido?

Venezuela has plunged into a political crisis amid a power struggle between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaidó.

Venezuela has been plunged into a political crisis amid a deadly struggle for power between President Nicolas Maduro and Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó.

(Photo: AP)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro started a second, six-year term in January amid international cries urging him to step down and return democratic rule to a country suffering a historic economic implosion.

Maduro claims he is going to turn around an economy whose collapse he has blamed on US sanctions. However, few experts see signs that his policies will rescue the once-wealthy OPEC nation.

Inflation is soaring, internal political divisions are deepening and millions of Venezuelans have left the country.

In a bid to oust Maduro, more than a dozen European Union countries have endorsed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country's interim president, piling the pressure on Maduro to resign and clear the way for a new presidential election.

Spain, Germany, France and Britain recently delivered diplomatic blows to Maduro's rule by publicly supporting Guaidó.

Maduro, however, has stood defiant, rejecting a US offer of humanitarian aid that has shifted attention to Venezuela's western border with Colombia, where opponents were gearing up to try to bring emergency food and medicine into the country.

Long-time backers Russia and China are among at least nine nations that have declared their support for Maduro.

This standoff saw Venezuela plunge into a political crisis, with factions cutting deep into the already embattled South American nation.

(With inputs from The Associated Press)