IMF still unclear about Venezuela political crisis; no meeting scheduled

The International Monetary Fund is still awaiting guidance from its members on whether to recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela's leader, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday, adding that there is no schedule for an IMF board meeting to decide the issue.

Rice told an IMF news briefing that there is still no clarity on Venezuela's leadership situation and any shift in the Fund's recognition of the government will be guided by its 189 member countries and the international community and "views are still being formed."

Another Washington-based multilateral institution, the Inter-American Development Bank, last week replaced the representative of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with an economist backed by Juan Guaido, a major setback for the Maduro government.