The government of El Salvador gave Venezuela's diplomats accredited in this Central American nation 48 hours to leave the country, snubbing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The note explains that the decision was made in accordance with the Salvadoran vote in the Organisation of American States (OAS), which supports a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemning alleged violations of the human rights of Venezuelans.
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— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) November 3, 2019
Nayib Bukele recognised the head of the country’s legislature Juan Guaido as "president in charge of Venezuela" and advocated "in the near future, the receipt of credentials from the new diplomatic representation of Venezuela."
The US ambassador to El Salvador, Ronald Johnson, applauded the step taken by the Bukele administration, and said the Salvadoran president had put himself "on the right side of history" by recognising Guaidó as "interim president of Venezuela".
Nos unimos al pueblo venezolano y seguimos comprometidos a brindarles la ayuda que se merecen. #EstamosUnidosVE
— Embajador Ronald Johnson (@USAmbSV) November 3, 2019
Bukele assumed the presidency of El Salvador on 1 June, and since the beginning he has distanced himself from Venezuela and proclaimed the United States to be his country's greatest historical ally.
Venezuela has been suffering from a severe political and financial crisis since late January when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust Venezuelan President Maduro from power.
Maduro has accused Guaido of being a US puppet, working with Washington to orchestrate a coup so that the US can control Venezuela’s vast fossil fuel reserves, the largest in the world.
While the United States, the European Union and the majority of Latin American countries recognise Guaido, Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and a number of other nations view Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
