Politics
A Venezuelan opposition coalition has announced how it plans to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office.
The MUD coalition had been meeting for weeks to decide how to install a new government. It said it would pursue "all constitutional means" for change. The MUD said this would include a recall referendum, a constitutional amendment and mass protests. Venezuela is deeply divided between supporters of Mr Maduro's socialist government and those who oppose it. Parties opposed to the governing socialist party won overwhelmingly in legislative elections held in December. As a result, in January they took control of the National Assembly for the first time in 17 years. Nevertheless, the executive branch remains under the control of President Maduro, whose term runs until 2019. Many of the newly elected opposition lawmakers campaigned on a promise to replace the government before the end of Mr Maduro's term.
One of the mechanisms sought by the opposition coalition is a constitutional amendment to cut Maduro's term short and hold new presidential elections. That could be requested either by the National Assembly or 2.9 million voters, paving the way for a recall referendum. However, others have noted that under Article 24 of the Venezuelan constitution, any modifications to the constitution cannot be made retroactively. The Democratic Unity coalition, known as the MUD, has long struggled to cultivate the disparate interests of a variety of political parties, with a wide range of priorities presenting challenges to policymaking. However, Torrealba called on Venezuelans to take to the streets this coming Saturday to demand Maduro’s resignation.
