COURT REJECTS CALL TO STOP CONSTITUTION REWRITE

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz’s motion to stop President Nicolas Maduro’s push to rewrite the constitution as the restive nation continued to be rocked by protests and a transit strike. The Supreme Court’s electoral branch declared Ortega Diaz’s request inadmissible on the same day anti-government demonstrators were marching toward the high court to protest its refusal to stop Maduro’s special assembly. Opposition leaders said pro-government armed groups known as “colectivos” clashed with protesters and journalists near the Supreme Court. Two months of anti-government protests have left at least 68 people dead as demonstrators demand new presidential elections. /