EP President Antonio Tajani attends the vote on Venezuela situation during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 31, 2019. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ

A general view of the hemicycle during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 31, 2019. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ

President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Juan Guaido (C) participates in an opposition demonstration in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 30, 2019. EPA-EFE/Miguel Gutiérrez

The European Parliament recognized a United States-backed Venezuelan opposition leader as the country's interim president on Thursday while the embattled incumbent failed to comply with an ultimatum from the European Union calling for early presidential elections as a way to resolve the bitter political crisis in the South American nation.

Members of the EP, the bloc's legislative arm, voted 439 to 104 in favor of recognizing Juan Guaidó, leader of Venezuela's national assembly and prominent opposition activist, as acting president in a move that heaped further international pressure on Nicolás Maduro, who has so far shunned calls for presidential elections in the crisis-struck nation.

"It is a pleasure to announce that the European Parliament recognizes Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim President of Venezuela," Antonio Tajani, EP President, said following a plenary vote in Brussels. "The European Parliament is the first EU institution to do so," he added.

"We urge member states and the high representative to do the same as soon as possible in order to have a united and strong position," he continued.

Guaidó immediately expressed his gratitude on social media.

"We have taken a huge step in our fight for democracy," he wrote. "We thank the European Parliament for recognizing our efforts for restoring constitutional order in our country," he added.

He said he had spoken with Tajani in order to begin cooperation between Europe and Venezuela in the ambit of asset protection and humanitarian aid.

MEPs also condemned in a last-minute amendment to a resolution the detention by Venezuela's security forces of five foreign journalists including three from Spain's news agency EFE, echoing calls made earlier by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini during a press conference in Bucharest.

Those being held are Spanish journalist Gonzalo Dominguez Loeda, Colombian journalist Mauren Barriga Vargas and photographer Leonardo Munoz, as well as Venezuelan driver Jose Salas.

Mogherini had on Saturday issued a statement on behalf of the EU calling on Maduro to hold free and transparent presidential elections in Venezuela or face further repercussions in the coming days, such as the recognition of Guaidó as his legitimate interim successor.

Maduro was quick to reject the EU's ultimatum on elections and accused the bloc of bowing to the United States President Donald Trump, whose administration, along with a dozen other countries, had already recognized Guaidó as acting president.

Mexico, Cuba, Bolivia and Turkey have maintained their support for Maduro, as have his main creditors, Russia and China.

The EU considers Venezuela's National Assembly, where Guaidó is the majority leader, to be the official legislative body in the nation.

In 2017, Venezuela's Supreme Court, whose members are predominantly aligned with Maduro's government, stripped the National Assembly of its powers ahead of an election to form a replacement body called the Constituent National Assembly, which was largely boycotted by opposition figures, who dubbed it a government coup.

Both houses have functioned in parallel since, with the National Assembly becoming a symbol of the opposition.

Guaidó declared himself president on Jan. 23 having secured the backing of Washington.

Venezuela, an oil-rich country that has been hammered by lower global oil prices and economic sanctions imposed by the US has been in recession for nearly all of Maduro's time in office. He took over after his predecessor Hugo Chavez's death in 2013.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled their homeland amid food and medicine shortages and hyperinflation.

The United Nations has reported more than 40 deaths and 700 arrests in massive anti-Maduro protests that have engulfed the nation in recent weeks.