JUAN GUAIDO

The sanctions have been a key element in making sure that those who have violated human rights and are guilty of corruption have a clear consequence to their actions. They have also been key to helping protect the assets of the Venezuelan people.

All those who talk about democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, of human rights, of the fight against corruption are, I believe, important allies.

I swear to formally assume the national executive powers as acting president.

Today, January 23, 2019, I swear to formally assume the powers of the national executive as president in charge of Venezuela.

I would like to be clear about the situation in Venezuela: Mr. Maduro's re-election on May 20, 2018, was illegitimate, as has since been acknowledged by a large part of the international community.

No one is willing to sacrifice themselves for Maduro or take up arms to fight for him.

My ascension as interim president is based on Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution, according to which, if at the outset of a new term there is no elected head of state, power is vested in the president of the National Assembly until free and transparent elections take place.

Let's swear as brothers that we won't rest until we gain freedom.

As president of the National Assembly, I am fully able and willing to assume the office of the presidency on an interim basis to call for free and fair elections.

The exercise of politics is criminalized in Venezuela.

My duty is to call for free elections because there is an abuse of power, and we live in a dictatorship.

Venezuelans live on 3 dollars a month. That's a tragedy. That is impossible to survive under these conditions.

We will fight back until we have democracy.

A pattern has developed under the Maduro regime. When pressure builds, the first recourse is to repress and persecute. I know this because buckshot pellets fired by members of the armed forces - at peaceful protesters in 2017 - remain lodged in my own body. A minor price to pay compared to the sacrifices made by some of my compatriots.

The most important element for any economy is confidence.

To achieve a successful transition, we don't just have to remove Maduro. We also have to rescue our institutions themselves. That's why we have set out three phases: ending Maduro's usurpation of power, implementing a transition government, and holding free elections.

In Venezuela, we have movement for freedom, for democracy, that has taken years and sacrifice to build, and a majority through protests to win elections to align ourselves with the world that recognizes the fight for democracy in Venezuela.

Venezuela has immense talents and resources, and we can help rebuild our democracy.

In Venezuela, we either accept domination, total oppression and torture... from Maduro's regime, or we choose freedom, democracy, and prosperity for our people.

President Trump's leadership has been very important to this effort of restoring democracy to Venezuela.

We will stay in the streets until we have freedom for Venezuela.

The very act of protest is dangerous in Venezuela.

We remain cohesive and mobilized and united because this is our goal - to rebuild Venezuela.

We know that Maduro's armies are riddled with persecution, torture, threats, and wrongful arrests.

I sleep placidly.