Isabel Frangie, a member of Venezuela's ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV), believes that the country's Prosecutor General’s Office is preparing to arrest opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president, but the arrest is being postponed due to possible negotiations.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday that the authorities were ready to sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the opposition if they want to.
"The Venezuelan Prosecutor General’s Office is in the process of issuing an arrest warrant, but President [Nicolas] Maduro gave the opportunity to meet the parties at the negotiating table. Perhaps, therefore, it is necessary to postpone [the arrest]," Frangie, who previously worked as a lawyer for Venezuelan projects in the Middle East, told Sputnik.
Within the criminal law framework, Guaido is a coup organizer, she noted.
"He opposed the constitution, he interacted with the United States and asked them to intervene in the sovereign affairs of the nation, this is considered treason in Venezuela," Frangie said.
She believes that these crimes demand that the Supreme Court decides on depriving Guaido and his supporters of authority.
"This entails the intention of the Prosecutor General to arrest him," Frangie concluded.
Last week, the conflict between the government and the opposition in Venezuela escalated as Guaido, the head of the National Assembly, declared himself the country's interim president in a move that has been recognized by the United States, Canada and a number of other countries.
Maduro has, in turn, accused Washington of orchestrating a coup in the Latin American country and said that Caracas was severing diplomatic ties with Washington.
So far, the United States, Canada, Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and a number of other countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. In addition, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain announced their intention to recognize Guaido as interim president of the country if new elections are not announced in Venezuela within eight days.
Russia said that it recognized only Maduro as the legitimately elected president of Venezuela and also voiced his readiness to mediate a dialogue between the government and opposition. Cuba, China, Turkey, Iran and other countries have also expressed support for Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president.
