In the last three years, more than three million Venezuelans have fled their country in hopes of a better life. Spurred by political turmoil, the struggle for power between Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó has Venezuelans caught in the midst of a humanitarian crisis furthered by hyperinflation and shortages of both food and medicine.

Nicolás Maduro was elected April 2013 by a thin 1.6% margin making him the successor of Hugo Chavez. His re-election in May of 2018 was highly controversial leading much of Venezuelans to deem his presidency illegitimate. Following his re-election, Venezuela’s National Assembly argued that Maduro’s presidency is invalid and therefore the presidency is vacant. On Jan. 23, Juan Guaidó, the new president of the National Assembly declared himself as the legitimate leader.

LJHS Junior Vale Bonomie said, “People, including my own family, have been fleeing the nation by the millions and the situation has recently gotten as serious as the Syrian refugee crisis. The worst part of it is, the president was elected through a rigged and undemocratic election.” Numerous Latin American countries and global powers like the U.S. have acknowledged Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president, calling on the army to withdraw support from Maduro. This climatic chain of events has pushed Venezuela to the edge. In recent years, the minimum wage has dropped from 350 dollars a month to 7 dollars a month and these conditions are likely to continue.

When it comes to debates of legitimacy the lines become blurry. As stated by Max Fisher, a writer for the New York Times, “Calling a leader “legitimate” does not mean that he or she is popular, successful or morally upstanding. It simply means that citizens, political elites and foreign governments recognize the leader’s rightful authority.” All signs indicate that the people are behind the National Assembly and Juan Guaidó, but only time will tell how this messy dispute will unfold.

(Photo via NBC news)