UPDATE - Venezuela: Parra becomes president of National Assembly

ADDS REMARKS FROM JUAN GUAIDO, US SECRETARY OF STATE

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Venezuelan state television announced Sunday that dissident opposition legislator Luis Parra had been sworn in as the new president of the country’s National Assembly, ending his rival Juan Guaido's term.

Guaido, who declared himself interim president early last year and is recognized as the country’s legitimate leader by the U.S., most Latin American countries and the European Union, has been engaged in a year-long power battle with Venezuela's elected president Nicolas Maduro.

Parra, who was expelled last month from the opposition Justice First Party over corruption allegations, was sworn in as the new president of the National Assembly to exercise the duties of the office during the new 2020 parliamentary term, Venezuelan TV reported.

The session was held at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas and was attended by members of the National Constituent Assembly led by the Maduro government as part of the agreements reached with the opposition under the National Dialogue Table For Peace in September last year.

But Guaido and his lawmakers declared the session invalid after they were blocked from attending it by security officials.

No official statement has been made on the voting process.

Guaido said on Twitter that whoever helps prevent the legitimate installation of the Venezuelan parliament becomes "an accomplice of the dictatorship and an accomplice of those who are oppressing the people of Venezuela and will be exposed to the world."

In a later tweet, Guaido declared himself president of the National Assembly, saying that a voting session has been held by the majority of the deputies.

"Today we have held the National Assembly session with the majority of the deputies. Despite the violent takeover and coup d'etat in the Federal Legislative Palace by the dictatorship, with 100 votes in favor the Board of Directors is installed for this year," he said.

His proclamation received direct support of the U.S. as it happened in early 2019.

"Congratulations to @JGuaido on his re-election to the @AsambleaVE!" U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted.

"Arrests, bribes and blocking access to its building were unable to derail #Venezuela’s National Assembly. Only a transitional government organizing free and fair presidential elections can end the crisis," Pompeo added.

In early September, the Maduro government and five opposition party leaders announced they had agreed to start a new dialogue process to tackle the problems faced by the OPEC nation, as crude oil is the country's main export.

The Mesa Nacional or National Table process was established to focus on future elections, prisoner releases and a unified opposition to the U.S. blockade.