My duty is to call for free elections because there is an abuse of power, and we live in a dictatorship.
In Venezuela, we either accept domination, total oppression and torture... from Maduro's regime, or we choose freedom, democracy, and prosperity for our people.
The most important element for any economy is confidence.
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.
We will stay in the streets until we have freedom for Venezuela.
Let's swear as brothers that we won't rest until we gain freedom.
If we look at the day-to-day suffering of the Venezuelan people, that's not about numbers: it's about human beings.
Venezuelans live on 3 dollars a month. That's a tragedy. That is impossible to survive under these conditions.
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.
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.
Maduro distanced himself from democracy. He deconstructed the entire judiciary and blocked parliamentary processes.
It's important to remember that a dictator will not freely relinquish power after having hijacked the constitution and ruled with threats and promises. Sometimes it is necessary to put enough pressure on him that he leaves.
I personally don't believe that Russia and China are on Maduro's side - they are simply protecting their investments here in Venezuela.
I've been getting calls from childhood friends who left the country and who tell me they finally have hope that they will return, and they tell me they will use everything they have learned living abroad to rebuild the country.
I was 15 when Hugo Chavez came to power in 1998. At the time, I lived in Vargas State, which borders the Caribbean. In 1999, torrential rains caused flash floods that left thousands of people dead. I lost several friends, and my school was buried in the mudslide. The importance of resilience has been etched into my soul ever since.
Doing politics in Venezuela is a risk, and you can pay with your life.
This is how dictatorships always behave: they deny reality; they deny crises.
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.
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.
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.
