Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Tuesday reclaimed the National Assembly that he heads, pushing past armed guards two days after President Nicolas Maduro's loyalists blocked him from attending his own re-election.
Guaido and his allies burst through the legislative palace's doors minutes after a pro-government group led by lawmaker Luis Parra, who had claimed the presidency of the body, scurried to a next-door building for refuge.
Guaido climbed to the dais and took the microphone as opposition lawmakers sang the national anthem, which includes the words "Death to oppression." Lawmakers then voted to recognize Guaido's re-election as head of the National Assembly for 2020. They rejected Parra's attempt to claim the role thanks to a Sunday vote taken amid chaos in the chamber as Guaido's supporters were barred, preventing a quorum.
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