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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Saturday 5 auguSt 2017


















                        All-powerful Venezuelan assembly opens amid protests



            By JORGE RUEDA               at  least  120  people  dead
            Associated Press             and hundreds jailed. Mad-
            CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)      uro vows the assembly will
            —  Defying  criticism  from   strip  opposition  lawmakers
            Washington to the Vatican,   of  their  constitutional  im-
            Venezuela’s ruling party on   munity  from  prosecution,
            Friday  installed  a  new  su-  while members of congress
            per assembly that support-   say  they  will  only  be  re-
            ers  promise  will  pacify  the   moved by force.
            country and critics fear will   “It  doesn’t  matter  where
            be a tool for imposing dic-  they  meet,  they’re  install-
            tatorship.                   ing a fraudulent institution,”
            The  constitutional  assem-  declared Freddy Guevara,
            bly’s  first  order  of  business   the  National  Assembly’s
            was  selecting  its  head  —   first  vice  president,  at  an
            former Foreign Minister Del-  opposition  demonstration
            cy  Rodriguez,  a  loyal  fol-  in  eastern  Caracas  that
            lower  of  President  Nicolas   drew  only  a  few  hundred
            Maduro.                      protesters, one of the small-
            The  nomination  was  ap-    est in months.
            proved  unanimously  by      An  increasing  number  of
            the  545  delegates,  who    foreign governments have
            marched  to  the  neo-clas-  sided  with  the  opposition,   The President of Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez, smiles as she accepts the
            sical legislative palace led   refusing  to  recognize  the   accolades of her fellow assemblymen after their swearing in ceremony, inside Venezuela’s Na-
            by  socialist  party  leader   constitutional   assembly   tional Assembly, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Aug. 4, 2017. Venezuelan President Nicolas Mad-
            Diosdado Cabello and first   and further isolating Madu-  uro is heading toward a showdown with his political foes, after seating a loyalist assembly that will
            lady  Cilia  Flores  and  ac-  ro’s government.           rewrite the country’s constitution and hold powers that override all other government branches.
            companied  by  hundreds      On  Friday,  the  Vatican                                                                 (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
            of  red-shirted  government   urged Maduro to suspend     bly,  saying  the  rules  were  Washington-based   think  even  representatives  of
            supporters  carrying  roses   the  new  body,  expressing   rigged  to  further  entrench  tank  Inter-American  Dia-  Venezuelans  with  physical
            and  portraits  of  the  late   “deep  worry  for  the  radi-  Maduro’s “dictatorship.”  logue. “To attach the term  disabilities. But the agenda
            Hugo  Chavez,  Maduro’s      calization  and  worsening”   The results have come un-   democracy  to  Venezuela  is  expected  to  be  set  by
            predecessor and mentor.      of the turmoil in Venezuela.  der mounting scrutiny after  with  this  new  constituent  bigger-name  loyalists,  in-
            Some  shouted,  “He’s  re-   Foreign  ministers  from  sev-  the international company  assembly  is  on  very  weak  cluding Maduro’s wife, son
            turned!”  as  a  jab  at  the   eral  South  American  na-  that  provided  the  elec-  ground.”                    and  several  ministers  who
            opposition,  which  had  or-  tions  said  they  will  gather   tronic voting machines said  The  U.S.  State  Department  resigned  their  posts  to  join
            dered  images  of  Chavez    Saturday  in  Brazil  for  an   that  “without  any  doubt”  said Thursday the assembly  the body.
            removed  from  an  adja-     emergency meeting amid       the  official  turnout  had  was illegitimate, reiterating  Cabello said that in one of
            cent building when it won    speculation they could de-   been  tampered  with  —  a  a call by Secretary of State  its  first  tasks,  the  assembly
            control of congress in 2015.  cide  to  evict  Venezuela   charge dismissed by Mad-    Rex Tillerson for Maduro to  plans  to  target  the  oppo-
            The  assembly  was  sched-   from  the  Mercosur  trade   uro and the National Elec-   leave  office  or  face  un-  sition-controlled  congress,
            uled  to  meet  again  Sat-  bloc for violating its demo-  toral Council.              specified actions to “return  known  as  the  National
            urday,    and    Rodriguez   cratic  norms.  Venezuela    “There  has  been  a  gradu-  the  government  processes  Assembly,  and  the  chief
            pledged it would be taking   was  suspended  from  the    al  erosion  of  democratic  back to the constitution.”   prosecutor,  Luisa  Ortega
            action  against  Maduro’s    group in December.           practice  and  this  is  a  sig-  The constitutional assembly  Diaz,  a  longtime  supporter
            political opponents.         The  opposition  boycot-     nificant line that has been  will  be  made  up  an  array  of  Chavez  who  recently
            “Don’t  think  we’re  going   ted the July 30 election of   crossed,”   said   Michael  of  pro-government  trade  broke with Maduro. q
            to  wait  weeks,  months  or   the  constitutional  assem-  Shifter,  president  of  the  unionists,   students   and  Ortega  Diaz  filed  a  com-
            years,”  she  said.  “Tomor-
            row  we  start  to  act.  The     Mexican court forbids imports of US potatoes
            violent  fascists,  those  who
            wage  economic  war  on
            the  people,  those  who     MEXICO  CITY  (AP)  —  A  A  group  of  Mexican  po-      radiation  treatment  of  im-  preserve Mexicans’ collec-
            wage  psychological  war,    Mexican  federal  court  has  tato growers had sought a  ports to prevent diseases.    tive rights to “preserve food
            justice is coming for you.”  made  an  unusual  ruling  constitutional injunction on  But  because  federal  in-    sovereignty and the health
            The  installation  of  the  all-  that bans the import of U.S.  the  imports,  claiming  they  junctions are intended only  of Mexican crop fields.”
            powerful  constitutional  as-  potatoes  on  the  grounds  threaten to spread agricul-  to  protect  constitutional  The agriculture department
            sembly  is  virtually  certain   the  imports  violate  Mexi-  tural diseases.         rights,  the  ruling  had  to  had  no  immediate  com-
            to  intensify  a  political  cri-  cans’  right  to  food  sover-  The  court  said  Mexican  break some new ground.  ment on the ruling.q
            sis  that  has  brought  four   eignty and a healthy envi-  agricultural authorities had  The  court  ruled  the  ban
            months of protests that left   ronment.                   failed  to  use  methods  like  must  be  implemented  to
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