Vivian Sequera and Deisy Buitrago

CARACAS (Reuters – Julio Borges a Venezuela-based politician, who is currently serving as foreign minister to the U.S.-backed interim governments, announced that he was leaving his position on Sunday, further weakening it just weeks following regional elections.

The United States, along with dozens of countries around the world, recognize Juan Guaido’s interim government formed in the first quarter of 2019 and consider President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election fraudulent.

Borges said that the interim government was not fulfilling its purposes. His differences with Guaido were well-known.

Borges stated that the (interim government) makes sense in order to escape the dictatorship. However, at the moment the interim government is deformed according to Borges.

He said, “Instead being an instrument against the dictatorship the interim government had become a type of… caste.”

Borges resides in Bogota. He was accused by Maduro’s government of plotting against the president.

He is part of Guaido’s coalition at the national assembly as a member the First Justice party.

Requests for comments were not promptly answered by Guaido or First Justice.

Borges stated that he would make his resignation formal during Tuesday’s legislative session and that the interim government should be “disappear.”

This should not be used for managing foreign-based assets such as Citgo (a U.S.-based refiner), and the political structure of it must change, he said.

Internal divisions within the opposition and slow alliance agreements between parties are seen by analysts and some members of the opposition itself as one of the causes of losses in local and regional elections https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-denies-visa-extension-electoral-observers-source-2021-12-03 in late November, when opposition candidates won just three of 23 governorships.