Venezuela’s new assembly president promises declaration to dismiss President Maduro from office

Record ID: 163162

  • Title: Venezuela’s new assembly president promises declaration to dismiss President Maduro from office
  • Date: 5th January 2017
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JANUARY 5, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GENERAL OF LAWMAKERS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CLOSE-UP OF THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULIO BORGES OPPOSITION LAWMAKERS DURING SESSION AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BORGES SPEAKING WITH OTHER OPPOSITION LAWMAKERS LAWMAKERS VOTING FOR BORGES TO LEAD AS PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BORGES CLIMBING STEPS AND GREETING OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, HENRY RAMOS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NEW PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULIO BORGES, SAYING: "I swear before God and the country to faithfully abide to the constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the laws of the Republic, and the inherent duties of the presidency of the National Assembly for which I have been elected." LAWMAKERS FROM THE RULING SOCIALIST PARTY OF PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO DURING SESSION BORGES SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NEW PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, JULIO BORGES, SAYING: "In the coming days, we will approve by a majority of this National Assembly, a declaration for the dismissal of (President) Nicolas Maduro from his position." VARIOUS OF BORGES AND LAWMAKERS ON FLOOR OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
  • Embargoed: 20th January 2017 19:35
  • Keywords: Venezuela opposition National Assembly Nicolas Maduro Julio Borges
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015XT26V7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Shortly after being sworn in as the new president of Venezuela's National Assembly on Thursday (January 5), Julio Borges promised the opposition-led body would vote on and pass a declaration to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office.
    Venezuela's opposition, still smarting from its failure to remove Maduro last year, installed Borges as the new congress head on Thursday. Borges has demanded across-the-board elections and sought military help to end "dictatorship".
    "In the coming days, we will approve by a majority of this National Assembly, a declaration for the dismissal of (President) Nicolas Maduro from his position," Borges said.
    In a renewal of Venezuela's bitter politics after the holiday lull, the ruling Socialist Party responded that the National Assembly was in contempt of the law.
    Maduro forecast its imminent "self-dissolution."
    The opposition coalition won control of the Assembly at the end of 2015 thanks to voter ire at Venezuela's unrelenting economic crisis. But authorities blocked their attempt to oust Maduro via a plebiscite last year.
    That has split the opposition between hardliners who believe civil disobedience is the only way to dislodge Hugo Chavez's unpopular successor, and moderates who fear that could spark bloodshed and backfire in the OPEC member nation with the world's largest oil reserves.
    Julio Borges, a veteran politician and lawyer, tore into the president as he took the post of assembly president. But he backed the moderates' push for solutions at the ballot box given what he deemed Maduro's "abandonment" of responsibilities.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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