Guaido had been in five other South American cities–Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay–in order to drum up support for his self-proclaimed presidency. Guaido in January invoked an obscure part of the national constitution to declare himself president, in the process declaring invalid the presidency of Maduro, who won re-election last year.

Guaido attended a large rally in Caracas and called for widespread protests at the weekend.

Guaido has won the support of 50 other national leaders, including American President Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, and has said that he will begin to take action as if he were his country's leader. High-ranking members of several countries that have issued that support were at the airport to greet Guaido.

On the ground in Venezuela, however, Maduro still controls the army and most of the mechanisms of political power. Some high-profile army officers have left their posts, intending to support Guaido and the opposition; most, however, remain in the large armed force that still takes orders from Maduro. On the political front, Maduro's party controls the super-parliamentary body the National Constituent Assembly, which was created in 2017 after the opposition gained control of what used to be the nation's top lawmaking body, the National Assembly, which Guaido heads.

The country, which has been in the grips of an economic crisis for a few years now, is set to face further sanctions, imposed by the U.S., which is also urging other countries to stop trading with Venezuela as long as Maduro is in power. In early February, the army responded to the arrival of a shipment of humanitarian aid from the U.S. by setting fire to the trucks containing the aid.

The self-proclaimed to popular strongman Hugo Chavez, Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term in late 2018, in an election boycotted by many opposition parties.