Luis Parra

Luis Eduardo Parra Rivero (born 7 July 1978) is a Venezuelan politician who was in a dispute with Juan Guaidó for a year over who was the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela based on a vote on 5 January 2020.

The investigative journalism website Armando.info reported in 2019 that Parra was among nine lawmakers that mediated in favor of two businessmen linked with the government, and was accused of being involved in corruption with the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) program of the Nicolás Maduro government.

CLAP affair

On 1 December 2019, the website Armando.info published an investigation reporting that nine parliamentarians mediated in favor of two businessmen linked with the government. Parra was accused of being involved in corruption with the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) program of the Nicolás Maduro government. Parra denied the accusations,

After the investigation was published, the deputies Parra, José Brito, Conrado Pérez and José Gregorio Noriega were suspended and expelled from their parties Justice First and Popular Will. Parra, Brito and Pérez objected to their expulsion and filed a case before Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice, in which they petitioned the court to have their party membership reinstated.

Parliamentary crisis On 5 January 2020, the 2020 Venezuelan National Assembly Delegated Committee election took place to determine who would be the President of the National Assembly for the period 2020-21 period, the last election of the IV legislature.

On the morning of the election, Parra announced his candidacy to the presidency of the National Assembly by surprise, against the incumbent president Juan Guaidó. Parra–who was previously barred from access to the legislative chambers–was granted access to the legislative palace while others of the opposition (to Maduro) were blocked at the entrance. Parra was joined by National Assembly deputies loyal to Maduro. In a chaotic scene, a hand vote was hastily taken and Parra was declared president. Opposition media said that only 18 former members of the opposition (known as “la bancada Clap”, the CLAP bench) supported Parra. Police forces blocked the access to parliament to opposition members and media. A separate session was carried out outside parliament where 100 of the 167 deputies re-elected Juan Guaidó as president of the parliament. Ruling party deputy Pedro Carreño told AFP that the vote took place with 150 deputies present and that Parra received the simple majority of 84 needed to win.

Regarding the controversy of the opposition attempting to enter the Palacio Federal Legislativo, Maduro said "if the failed Guaidó did not want to enter it was because he did not have the votes", dismissing that Guaidó and his supporters were prevented from entering. Guaidó called Parra a “pseudo deputy” who had “betrayed the nation.”

Russia, one of Maduro's closest international allies, welcomed Parra's election. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the election contributes to the return of the intra-Venezuelan political struggle to the constitutional field that will find a peaceful exit to the ongoing crisis. Opposition deputies denounced that Russia looked after supporting Parra to improve its businesses in Venezuela, including to increase the Russian shareholder participation in oil contracts and other mining concessions that need the approval of the National Assembly and that it would not have with Guaidó.

The Episcopal Conference of Venezuela rejected Luis Parra claim to the presidency of the National Assembly being "contrary to all constitutional legality", according to its presidency. Days later, Luis Parra accompanied by armed forces tried to meet the organization, but he was denied entry. Parra and his allies announced that they would come back with "more reinforcement".

The pro-Maduro Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) ruled in favor of Parra on 25 May 2020, recognizing him as the sole president of the National Assembly.

International sanctions

The United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Parra and seven other individuals, "who, at the bidding of Maduro, attempted to block the democratic process in Venezuela,” according to U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin on 13 January 2020.

In June 2020, Luis Parra, Franklyn Duarte, Jose Gregorio Noriega, alongside other 8 individuals were sanctioned by the governments of the European Union after the Supreme Tribunal of Justice certified Parra as president of the National Assembly.