(CNN)With two declared leaders, unrest in the streets and foreign powers taking sides, Venezuelans awoke Thursday to an increasingly precarious political crisis — one that led the United Nations’ chief to plead for dialogue to prevent “total disaster.”
The head of Venezuela’s opposition-led National Assembly declared himself acting president Wednesday amid massive anti-government protests, openly rebelling against socialist President Nicolas Maduro, whose opponents say was illegitimately elected for a second term.
Some nations — including the United States and Canada — have said they’ll recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as president, while Russia, China and others are backing Maduro, setting the stage for a struggle for Venezuela’s future both within and outside the South American country.
