Page 11 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS A11
Friday 15 January 2016

Venezuela opposition congress tries to start legislating

Lawmaker Romel Guzamana of the Baniva Indian community, being “besieged” by the who remains one of the so- ity because the overall size
center, protests with supporters in front of the General Prosecu- other branches of govern- cialist party’s most powerful of congress is now smaller.
tor’s office in Caracas, Venezuela. Dozens of Indians under the ment. figures, repeated that senti- Socialists say the calcula-
cry of “justice, justice,” protested outside the General Prosecu- Sometimes you have to ment last week. tion should still be made
tor’s office the removal of three Amazonas state elected con- sacrifice some things to “They think they can make using the total capacity of
gress members from the National Assembly. Guzamana is one save others,” he told tele- a law that allows murderers congress, meaning that the
of three lawmakers who were barred by the Supreme Court from vision station Globovision to pardon other murder- opposition loses the super-
taking office due to irregularities during the election. Wednesday. ers,” he said. The opposition majority as long as those
Lawmakers started work may have the votes need- seats remain empty.
(AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Thursday on legislation that ed to overturn a presiden- Even as the rank-and-file
would free dozens of peo- tial veto, but it’s far from starts work, congressional
HANNAH DREIER tivists, a bill to give people ple imprisoned because of certain that the courts loyal leaders are eyeing the next
Associated Press in public housing the title to their participation in 2014 to the socialist party would institutional fight.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) their homes, and a project anti-government protests. uphold its will. Another sign They have convened a
— Venezuela’s new oppo- to audit major institutions. Human rights groups con- of constitutional disarray: committee to start looking
sition congress is finally get- “There are many Venezu- sider these activists to be It’s unclear whether the op- into alleged court packing
ting down to the business of elans who are temporarily political prisoners, but the position, which won exactly and the rush appointment
writing laws, but it’s unclear behind bars. In the com- government says they pre- two-thirds of congressional of 13 Supreme Court jus-
whether the socialist-con- ing days, we are going to cipitated violence that left seats, will retain its crucial tices last month. That would
trolled courts and other in- free them so that they can dozens dead. super-majority now that the be the first step toward re-
stitutions will enforce them. participate in the great de- Maduro has warned that three contested lawmakers placing the justices, one of
Opponents of the ruling velopment of our country,” he would “never accept” are gone. whom ran unsuccessfully in
socialist party stepped opposition lawmaker Rich- an amnesty law, and out- Congressional leaders ar- December as a congres-
back from the brink of a ard Blanco said on the floor going congressional presi- gue that they should keep sional candidate with the
showdown between the Thursday. dent Diosdado Cabello, their commanding major- socialist party.q
branches of power on But while the opposition
Wednesday when they has a strong mandate from
agreed to unseat three its landslide victory in the
contested lawmakers. Dec. 6 legislative elections,
The Supreme Court had supporters of the revolution
said those lawmakers started by late President
could not be sworn in until Hugo Chavez still control
officials had investigated virtually every other institu-
claims that they engaged tion.
in voter fraud. The high The socialist party enjoyed
court later said anything a 17-year winning streak in
the legislature did would national elections, amass-
be null until the lawmakers ing near-total control over
were gone. all major state institutions.
Opposition leaders are call- But while the opposition
ing the move a tactical re- congress may have a lot of
treat from an “institutional power on paper, that pow-
ambush” and are starting er is still untested.
to outline policy proposals. Congress president Henry
Chief among the initiatives Ramos says opposition
are proposed legislation to leaders would have to find
give amnesty to jailed ac- a way to legislate while