Venezuela opposition urges general strike over Maduro plans

PanARMENIAN.Net - Venezuela's opposition has called for a 24-hour strike on Thursday, July 18, in protest against President Nicolás Maduro's plans for a new constituent assembly, BBC News reports.

In a statement, leaders said 7.6 million people had taken part in Sunday's opposition-organised referendum on the plans. They also announced they would name new Supreme Court judges.

The assembly, made up of citizens, would have power to scrap the National Assembly and rewrite the constitution.

Opposition parties control the National Assembly and are calling for fresh elections before Maduro's term expires in early 2019.

"It is time for zero hour," said opposition leader Freddy Guevara, speaking on behalf of the Democratic Unity coalition (MUD).

"We call on the whole country this Thursday to join massively and peacefully a national civic strike of 24 hours as a mechanism of pressure and preparation for the definitive escalation which will be next week."

He added that on Wednesday the opposition would take the first steps to set up a national unity government and that on Friday it would appoint new judges.

Such proposals raise the possibility of a parallel state structure, the BBC says.

Shortly before the opposition press conference, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada criticised Sunday's vote.

The government said the referendum was riddled with fraud and that people were able to vote many times at different polling stations.

On Saturday, President Maduro dismissed the vote as "meaningless".

Academics who monitored the poll said that nearly all those who voted rejected the new assembly proposed by Maduro and backed a call for elections before 2019.

Guevara said the Venezuelan people had given a mandate, rejecting "the fraudulent proposal of Nicolás Maduro".

"The regime must understand that we won't allow the destruction of Venezuela to happen," he said.

"The government must pull out its proposal of constitutional fraud."

President Maduro's plan will see a vote on 30 July for the new constituent assembly.

Its 545 members will have the power to dissolve state institutions, including the National Assembly.

Maduro argues that the assembly is the only way to help Venezuela out of its economic and political crisis. He says the opposition is trying to overthrow the government.