Venezuela readies for controversial Constituent Assembly as divisions in society deepen
Record ID:
904333
Venezuela readies for controversial Constituent Assembly as divisions in society deepen
- Title: Venezuela readies for controversial Constituent Assembly as divisions in society deepen
- Date: 27th July 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SHOT OF BILLBOARD THAT READS "UNITED FOR VENEZUELA, CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY" WITH SHANTYTOWN IN BACKGROUND APARTMENT BLOCKS WITH BILLBOARD READING "UNITED FOR VENEZUELA, CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY" POLITICAL ANALYST OSWALDO RAMIREZ SITTING AT COUCH DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN POLITICAL ANALYST OSWALDO RAMIREZ SAYING: "For (Venezuelan President) Maduro, basically the first thing he needs is the possibility of having a body that approves the state-owned companies or the changes to the state-owned companies regarding exploitation of mineral deposits, oil, gold, et cetera. He needs someone to approve all the international debt, which is not passing through the National Congress, in both cases the National Congress has this blocked." LARGE CROWD OF PEOPLE OPPOSED TO THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY MARCHING OPPOSITION MARCH WITH BANNER READING "NO TO THE DICTATORSHIP OF HUNGER, CORRUPTION AND REPRESSION, MADURO OUT" CROWD AT OPPOSITION MARCH VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER HENRIQUE CAPRILES (IN BLUE SHIRT) AT OPPOSITION MARCH CAPRILES AT OPPOSITION MARCH WITH TEAR GAS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER HENRIQUE CAPRILES SAYING: "Their [referring to the government] objective is not a new constitution, their objective is, through a fraudulent process, to have a proceeding that can dismiss the chief prosecutor, that can close the national congress, that can remove a mayor, that can remove a governor, or any other thing. They've said it, and in the background is to also avoid any free and democratic electoral process."
- 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: LVA0036RHU9FR
- 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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