Opposition-held parliament is considering early elections
BOGOTA: Venezuela’s pro-government Constituent Assembly on Monday announced the creation of a commission to consider early elections of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, the official news agency AVN reported.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido had warned that President Nicolas Maduro’s government would call early elections in order to dissolve the National Assembly, the country’s parliament and a bastion of the opposition.
It was possible the commission could set an election date within this year, media reports quoted Constituent Assembly President Diosdado Cabello as saying. Regular elections are not due until late next year.
The opposition has called on Maduro to resign and for fresh presidential elections to be held, but Cabello said only the National Assembly could be elected ahead of schedule.
The Constituent Assembly decided to create the commission in an extraordinary session which also rejected the new sanctions against Venezuela announced by US President Donald Trump’s administration last week.
Calling early elections would lead to “a phase of greater conflict”, Guaido warned in a video published on his Twitter account on Sunday.
Created in 2017, the Constituent Assembly was seen as a bid by Maduro to replace the National Assembly, which had been stripped of its powers for allegedly swearing in politicians whose elections were not valid.
Guaido was elected parliament speaker in January and then declared himself Venezuela’s interim president, winning the support of dozens
The authorities had already lifted the immunity of more than a dozen legislators in that body. The Constituent Assembly accepted a proposal of the Supreme Court to lift the immunities of four more politicians on Monday, daily El Nacional reported. |