This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
On September 25, 2019, a significant shift in Venezuela's political landscape occurred as pro-Maduro lawmakers returned to the National Assembly, a move that has been met with both celebration and criticism.
According to Juan Guaido, the National Assembly speaker recognized by over 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president, this development is an implicit recognition of the only legitimate body in Venezuela, which is the parliament.
However, socialist lawmaker Tania Diaz countered that this was a democratic gesture of the legitimate government of Venezuela presided over by Nicolas Maduro.
The ruling socialist party had walked out of the National Assembly in 2016 after losing control in elections, and the government set up its own body, the Constituent Assembly, to sideline the opposition-dominated legislature.
Maduro's party signed a pact earlier this month with fringe opposition parties paving the way for ruling party lawmakers to return to the legislature, a move aimed at disrupting Guaido's power base.
Maduro's government stated that this move was made 'in the interest of deepening and extending the dialogue' with the opposition.
The opposition controls two-thirds of the 167 National Assembly seats, but Venezuela's top court declared it in contempt and held its decisions to be null and void.
