The 2020 Venezuelan National Assembly Delegated Committee election was to be held in the ordinary session of the National Assembly on 5 January, in which 160 deputies were to elect the legislature's board of directors for the year 2020–21: the president, the first and second vice presidents, the secretary and the deputy secretary. It was the last such election of the IV National Assembly.
The election was disrupted by the security forces physically preventing some opposition members, including Juan Guaidó, as well as members of the media, from entering the National Assembly building in Caracas. The result was two competing claims to the presidency of the legislature: one by Luis Parra, an independent legislator, and one by Guaidó, a legislator from the Popular Will party and a claimant to the country's disputed presidency. Parra was formerly a member of Justice First, but was expelled from the party on 20 December 2019, based on corruption allegations, which he denied. Inside the legislature, Parra was declared president. The opposition disputed this outcome, saying that there had not been a quorum and that the votes had not been counted. Later in the day, a separate session took place at the El Nacional newspaper building, where 100 of the 167 deputies voted to re-elect Guaidó as president. Guaidó took an oath of office at a session on 7 January after forcing his way into the building through police barricades. On the same date, Parra reiterated his claim to the presidency.
As of January 2020, Russia is the only foreign government to have officially recognized Luis Parra's presidency, while the United States, Canada, and most European and Latin American countries have recognized Guaido's re-election.
Voting system Article 194 of the Venezuelan Constitution reads:
Distance voting On 17 December 2019, the National Assembly approved the modification of the Interior and Debate Regulations, specifically section 4, article 13 and articles 43 and 56, so that deputies who are exiled can vote from their country of residence. The proposal, presented by Democratic Action deputy Dennis Fernández and approved by 93 deputies, includes the admission of information and communication technologies (ICT) to guarantee the quorum and the discussions. The deputies of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela withdrew from the session and did not vote. They were joined by deputies José Brito, Conrado Pérez and Luis Parra, all former militants, representing Justice First. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice declared the modification void, since, according to Juan José Mendoza, president of the Constituent National Assembly, the reform had no "legal effect" when it would "collide" with the provisions of the Constitution. The opposition reported that the system would be used anyway.
Predictions The incumbent president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, announced he would run for re-election at the parliament headquarters, amid doubts about whether he would get the necessary votes (84). Guaidó received support in his re-election as president from 27 political parties, including those with parliamentary representation: Encuentro Ciudadano, Voluntad Popular, Acción Democrática, Un Nuevo Tiempo, Primero Justicia, La Causa R and a faction of Copei.
Guaidó said that he had enough votes for his reelection, even without a distance vote from the thirty deputies abroad or in hiding, citing as evidence the fact that the modification of the internal and debate rules had been approved with 93 votes, more than the 84 needed.
The 16 de Julio (16 July) group, made up of Vente Venezuela and Convergencia, led by deputy , did not offer details on who they would vote for in the 5 January election. They said they would respect the February 2016 governance agreement, which says that the presidency of the National Assembly would correspond to minority parties.
Alternate deputy of Juan Pablo Guanipa, José Sánchez "Mazuco", announced in the day of the election that he was operated and hospitalized, so he would not be able to attend to the session, but assured that his vote would not make a difference since the main deputy Guanipa would attend instead.
Background
Operación Alacrán and Armando.info investigation
In November 2019, deputy José Guerra denounced a strategy to "bribe" opposition lawmakers in what he called "Green Suitcase", with the aim of breaking the qualified majority that the opposition had in the National Assembly.
On 1 December, the website Armando.info published an investigation reporting that nine parliamentaries mediated in favor of two businessmen linked with the government. After the investigation was published, the deputies Luis Parra, José Brito, Conrado Pérez and José Gregorio "Goyo" Noriega were removed from their positions in Justice First and Popular Will.
The Venezuelan opposition alleged that they were targeted by what they described as a "campaign of bribery and intimidation" by Nicolás Maduro's government in December 2019. Venezuelan lawmakers and the United States State Department said that opposition deputies, in parties led or allied with Guaidó, were being offered up to US$1 million to not vote for him. Luis Parra and other opposition deputies were removed from their parties following allegations that they were being bribed by Maduro. National Assembly deputies Ismael León and Luis Stefanelli directly accused Parra in December 2019 of attempting to bribe deputies to vote against Guaidó. Parra denied the allegations and said he was open to being investigated for corruption. Weeks prior to his investigation, Parra openly shared support for Guaidó and promoted his protest movement.
Deputy Delsa Solórzano accused Nicolás Maduro on CNN Radio Argentina of directing the operation. According to her, the government resorted to this method after failing to incarcerate or suspend the parliamentary immunity of the deputies, denouncing a considerable increase of political persecution as 5 January was approaching, explaining that security forces have gone to the houses of many deputies without alternates, and the only one with one, according to Solórzano, did accept the bribe.
On 3 January 2020, Nicmer Evans, a Caracas-based analyst, alleged that Maduro had managed to cause 14 deputies to not cast a vote for Guaidó through these tactics. Guaidó theoretically controlled 112 seats in the Assembly at the time, needing 84 votes to win.
Arrest and indictments Additionally, the deputy Juan Requesens, who has been detained as a political prisoner since August 2018, had visitation rights removed for the day of the election, according to his sister Rafaela. In December 2019, deputy Gilber Caro was also arrested with no charges.
Events and contested results
Raid of deputies' hotel In the early morning of 5 January, members of the police and intelligence service entered Paseo Las Mercedes, a hotel in which many opposition deputies were staying. The officials said that they found explosive devices in the hotel.
Blockade of the Parliament In the morning, deputies started passing the many entry checkpoints of the Legislative Federal Palace. There was a moment were the National Guard started allowing the entry one by one. Opposition deputies denounced that the officials were deliberately slowing down the entry, and many lawmakers spoke with the minority leader, , to intercede, who went out several times. There was a moment where the opposition deputies in the last checkpoint were not allowed to enter. Guaidó and other opposition deputies were blocked from entering by the Bolivarian National Guard.
Journalists were also impeded from covering the event. Security forces only allowed entry to reporters whose names appeared in a list provided by Maduro's Ministry of Information. State-run media was allowed to enter the building. About 35 of the national and international media outlets accredited by the National Assembly to cover the legislative sessions were not allowed entry. The Venezuelan Press Workers Union published a list of nearly forty outlets that were denied entry to the National Assembly.
Some diplomatic representatives, including from Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain, were denied entry as well, and the delegates from Chile and Mexico were the only ones allowed access.
After 11:00 am (VET), when the session was scheduled to have started, the pro-government deputies inside the session chamber started chanting "let the session begin". After chanting, singing, and taking pictures, the deputies simulated the election of a new parliament leadership, jokingly appointing Óscar Figuera, deputy of the Communist Party of Venezuela, as "self-proclaimed" president of the Assembly. Figuera pronounced a speech and joked that the appointed group would be transitional, since a new leadership would be appointed in short.
Deputy was blocked from entering and had her parliamentary credential snatched away, and deputies Delsa Solórzano and were assaulted after attempting to enter. A rumor spread that Gilberto Sojo, alternate deputy of that had precautionary measures, could be arrested, causing Guaidó to decide to stay next to him. These events led to Guaidó to refuse when the National Guard asked him to enter if the remaining deputies, around twenty, did not enter. However, the officials never opened the entry access to him or asked for his credential, and on the contrary, reinforced the security in the perimeter. Guaidó and the other opposition deputies were blocked from entering by the National Guard afterwards. Guaidó tried to climb over a fence around the building, but was pushed back by members of the National Guard.
Luis Parra declares himself president Briefly before the session started, outside the Legislative Palace, José Brito postulated Luis Parra as an alternative candidate to Guaidó, as well as Franklyn Duarte and José Gregorio Noriega as first and second vicepresidents, respectively.
Francisco Torrealba assured that when Guaidó did not arrive at the scheduled time to open the session, the deputies inside the legislative chamber applied the Internal and Debate Rules, establishing that the oldest deputy would assume the Assembly Chair to moderate the election of a new leadership.
Luis Parra, who was granted access to the legislative palace before, announced by surprise that he would be appointed as president of the National Assembly. The diplomatic delegates that were present withdrew. Pro-government and opposition deputies started stepping up to the tribune and arguing, and deputies José Brito and Marcos Bozo had a scuffle. A group of men accompanied by pro-government deputies Nosliw Rodríguez and Ileana Medina tried to open the sound control room of the session chamber forcefully, kicking the door, while deputy María Beatriz Martínez tried to prevent it.
United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) deputies gave instructions to Parra, Franklyn Duarte and José Gregorio Noriega, assuring that there was quorum for the appointment and asking him to take the offices of the Assembly's Chair. Francisco Torrealba instructed Parra to remain seated and to call the secretary. Other PSUV deputies handed a megaphone to Parra to let him speaker, and when they managed to enter into the sound control room they let him know that the chamber had sound he could use the microphones.
Luis Parra announced himself president of the National Assembly. Franklyn Duarte and José Gregorio Noriega were named first and second vice president of the National Assembly, respectively. Negal Morales was named secretary of the National Assembly. The quorum was not confirmed, and contrary to Article 8 of the Internal and Debate Rules, the vote for each position did not take place.