Latin America nations raise pressure on Venezuela's Guaido at OAS meet

A bloc of leftist Latin American nations have ramped up pressure against Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido at a diplomatic summit, although they failed to pass a motion to discuss ousting his representation from the organisation.

Guaido has declared himself Venezuela's president since 2019 and the Organization of American States (OAS), which is hosting its General Assembly in Lima, has recognised him.

But Guaido has never actually held power, and the country remains led by President Nicolas Maduro.

At the OAS Summit, major Latin American nations led by leftist leaders voted in favour of discussing the possibility of ousting Guaido's representation in the OAS.

While 19 nations voted in favour and only four against, the motion fell short of the necessary 24 votes. 

The OAS counts 35 nation members.

The resolution, drafted by the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, would have stripped recognition of Gustavo Tarre as Venezuela's permanent representative at the OAS on the grounds that Guaido is not a head of state.

Symbolic shift

"Guaido’s international support has decreased substantially," said Mariano de Alba, a Venezuela analyst at the International Crisis Group. "The opposition is in dire need of a new leadership that is able to coordinate discontent within the country and build leverage so the government has an interest in negotiating with them."

The vote was symbolic of a recent shift in Latin America, with leftist leaders replacing more conservative governments in Chile, Colombia and Peru since last year.

Nations voting against Guaido included Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru. Brazil and Ecuador abstained.

Guaido's OAS representation announced ahead of the Assembly that they would not attend. 

President Maduro announced his withdrawal from the OAS in 2017.