Venezuela readies for controversial Constituent Assembly as divisions in society deepen

Record ID: 904332

  • Title: Venezuela readies for controversial Constituent Assembly as divisions in society deepen
  • Date: 27th July 2017
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VENEZUELAN LAWMAKERS HURT AND BLEEDING AFTER THE ASSAULT ON CONGRESS BY SUPPORTERS OF PRESIDENT MADURO CLOSE UP OF HURT VENEZUELAN LAWMAKER CLOSE UP OF SECOND HURT VENEZUELAN LAWMAKER
  • Embargoed: 10th August 2017 18:55
  • Keywords: Venezuela Constituent Assembly Nicolas Maduro Henrique Capriles vote
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0056RHU9FR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A vote will be held this Sunday (July 30) in Venezuela to choose members of a Constituent Assembly that will have power to rewrite the constitution and override the current opposition-led legislature. Government officials and candidates for the Constituent Assembly were winding up campaigning on Thursday (July 27), with a rally planned for Caracas later in the day to be attended by President Nicolas Maduro. Voters will choose 364 constitutional representatives distributed across municipalities and state capitals and another 181 "sectoral" candidates from demographic groups ranging from students to farmers and fisherman.
    Opposition figures say the ruling Socialist Party wants to consolidate dictatorship with a sham vote for a super-congress that will have the power to rewrite the constitution and shut down the existing opposition-led legislature. The opposition Democratic Unity coalition say the use of sectoral candidates, who had to collect signatures and file them to the government-leaning elections council, was a way to weed out anti-government aspirants. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles said the objective of the Maduro administration is clear - that he wants "to have a proceeding that can dismiss the state prosecutor, that can close the national congress, that can remove a mayor, that can remove a governor, or any other thing."
    And political analyst Oswaldo Ramirez said that Maduro's aim is "to eliminate people or institutions that are uncomfortable." He specified chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega and the opposition-led National Assembly.
    Maduro has vowed to push ahead with Sunday's vote and says it will bring peace to Venezuela after four months of anti-government protests in which more than 100 people have been killed. At least 106 people have died in total during anti-government unrest convulsing the South American OPEC nation since the opposition launched protests in April demanding elections to end nearly two decades of socialist rule. Many streets around Venezuela remained barricaded and deserted today (July 27) during the second day of an opposition-led shutdown.
    The international community has broadly condemned the vote, and the United States on Wednesday announced sanctions against 13 current and former officials for corruption, undermining democracy, and participating in repression.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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