Venezuela’s political crisis has deepened after a new pro-government “superbody” stripped the opposition-held parliament of its legislative powers and the fugitive attorney general accused President Nicolás Maduro of links to a corruption scandal.
The move by the national constituent assembly, denounced by regional powers and the US, has limited practical impact. The government had in effect neutered the parliament soon after the 2015 election that brought it to power, and the new constituent assembly already has virtually unlimited reach.
But it underlines government plans to use the new superbody, officially convened to update the constitution, to pursue its own political agenda. The opposition denounced the move as a further blow against democracy, but said it would ignore the order and continue to meet.
“The international community should know that in Venezuela the Maduro regime is carrying out a coup against the state itself. Rejecting a legitimate parliament is also a form of coup,” opposition leader Henrique Capriles said on Twitter.
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