Venezuelan lawmakers slam Maduro’s ‘coup’

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. (AA) – Venezuela’s National Assembly on Sunday accused President Nicolas Maduro of staging a “coup” after a recall process against him was suspended.

The declaration announced the “breakdown of constitutional order” and democracy in the South American country, according to The National newspaper.

Lawmakers asked the international community to activate mechanisms that guarantee the rights of citizens and issued a call to action for Venezuelans to defend the Constitution and democracy.

Parliamentarians also proposed replacing Supreme Court judges and electoral authorities.

The declaration passed at an emergency meeting that was temporally suspended by a group of Maduro followers that interrupted the session.

The electoral authority, CNE, decided Thursday to stop the collection of nearly 4 million signatures to activate a referendum against Maduro.

The CNE said it “complies by the measures ordered by the courts [and] has issued instructions to postpone the recollection process until further judicial instruction”, citing fraud complaints filed in court by the government.

Venezuela is struggling in the face of an economic and political bottleneck as citizens complain of a lack of basic supplies and medicine, fueling calls for a recall of Maduro.

The opposition cites mismanagement and corruption for the country’s woes while Maduro has blamed the U.S. and its regional allies for the crisis.