MOSCOW

Russian on Monday welcomed the election of the new speaker to the Venezuelan parliament, Luis Parra

"We consider the election of the new leadership of the parliament, as the result of a legitimate democratic procedure, contributing to the return of the intra-Venezuelan political struggle to the constitutional field," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an online statement.

Asserting that the election showed a "demand for the dialogue" between different political groups in Venezuela without external interference, the statement said: "The radical part of the opposition, which has discredited itself with high-profile scandals, including those related to the appropriation of funds of foreign origin, has once again demonstrated its insolvency."

"The current situation in the [Venezuelan] National Assembly leaves no doubt about this. Orchestrated by external forces, clumsy attempts to introduce a split and create the illusion of dual power, now inside the Venezuelan Parliament, are doomed," it added.

It warned the sides against confrontation, urging them to find a solution that would lead to normalization and the democratic development of the country.

Luis Parra

Venezuelan state television announced Sunday that dissident opposition legislator Luis Parra had been sworn in as the new president of the country’s National Assembly, ending the term of his rival, Juan Guaido.

Guaido, who declared himself interim president early last year and is recognized as the country’s legitimate leader by the U.S., most Latin American countries and the European Union, has been engaged in a year-long power battle with Venezuela's elected President Nicolas Maduro.

Parra, who was expelled last month from the opposition Justice First Party over corruption allegations, was sworn in as the new president of the National Assembly to exercise the duties of the office during the new 2020 parliamentary term.

Guaido and his lawmakers declared the session invalid after they were blocked from attending it by security officials.

No official statement has been made on the voting process.

In early September, the Maduro government and five opposition party leaders announced they had agreed to start a new dialogue process to tackle the problems faced by the OPEC nation, as crude oil is the country's main export.

The Mesa Nacional or National Table process was established to focus on future elections, prisoner releases and unified opposition to the U.S. blockade.