- Title: Pro-government Venezuelans rally against defiant attorney general
- Date: 2nd June 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JUNE 2, 2017) (REUTERS) GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS RALLYING OUTSIDE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE WITH SIGNS READING (IN SPANISH): "NO TO IMPUNITY / OUT WITH TERRORISM" SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "ATTORNEY GENERAL, YOU SOLD YOURSELF FOR $" / "ATTORNEY - TRAITOR OF THE CHAVISTA'S LOYALTY" CLOSE-UP OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER CHANTING AND WAVING VENEZUELAN FLAG EXTERIOR OF PUBLIC MINISTRY, POLICE ON STEPS GENERAL VIEW OF PRO-GOVERNMENT RALLY, PEOPLE WAVING VENEZUELAN FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER, MAYTE GARCIA, SAYING: "Mrs Attorney General, you with your calls to encourage the violence and encourage opposition protesters, you with your calls to reject the legacy of the Commander Chavez, because your discourse is immoral, Mrs Attorney General… Those of us that defend the motherland are committed to the calls for a Constituent Assembly, because it is the legacy of President Chavez." GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS IN RED SHIRTS AND CAPS AT RALLY GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER APPLAUDING SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "NO TO IMPUNITY / OUT WITH TERRORISM"/ VENEZUELAN FLAG SIGNS READING (IN SPANISH): "TRAITOR OF THE CHAVISTA'S LOYALTY" AND "ATTORNEY GENERAL, NO TO TERRORISM" GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS WITH RAINBOW FLAGS AND A PORTRAIT OF INDEPENDENCE LEADER SIMON BOLIVAR (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER, NIURCHA OCHOA, SAYING: "Citizen, Attorney General, speak. We came to demand this because you are there and you were put there to comply with your functions in accordance with article 285 of the constitution, and if you do not fulfil this function, we will help our country we will take it upon ourselves to carry out the corresponding international actions with the objective that you make yourself responsible for the violation of human rights." VARIOUS GENERAL VIEWS OF PRO-GOVERNMENT RALLY POLICE WATCHING OVER RALLY GENERAL VIEW OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH RALLY WITH VENEZUELAN FLAG
- Embargoed: 16th June 2017 20:31
- Keywords: crisis Nicolas Maduro Constituent Assembly Luisa Ortega Venezuela
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016JL6PMV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Supporters of Venezuela's embattled government rallied on Friday (June 2) outside the Public Ministry denouncing Attorney General, Luis Ortega, as a traitor after she criticized President Nicolas Maduro's plans to storm ahead with forming a new assembly to rewrite the constitution without a referendum.
Ortega criticised on Thursday the presidential move to create a constituent assembly without popular participation, saying it was a "setback" for democracy. The comments come as almost two months of opposition-led protests pick up greater steam after the death of a high profile judge in the chaos, amid a total death toll of at least 62.
Government supporters rallied with signs claiming Ortega had sold herself out for money and accusing her of promoting impunity, and vowed to guarantee the constituent assembly as the legacy of President Hugo Chavez.
Ortega went to Venezuela's Supreme Court to request a "clarification" of a ruling issued by her Constitutional Chamber on Wednesday, which endorsed the president's initiative to elect members to the National Constituent Assembly without calling a national referendum.
This mechanism also sets up the process to have the constituents chosen at the end of July, in a vote that will be made via municipalities, a framework criticised by the opposition as an indirect election.
Maduro pledged on Thursday to hold a referendum on a new constitution he has proposed to try and quell the anti-government unrest. Whilst elections to the assembly are set for July, Maduro has not clarified when the referendum on the assembly's formation would take place.
Ortega, who was widely viewed as a close ally of Maduro's socialist government, recently broke with Maduro when she and others viewed the constituent assemblies as a bid to override the parliament, now led by the opposition. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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