Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 1 augusT 2017

At Press Time:

Venezuela defiant as US moves to sanction president

vote, declaring it rigged
Continued from front for the ruling party. Ahead
of the vote, the opposition
Maduro says a new con- organized a series of work
stitution is the only way to stoppages as well as a
end such conflicts. July 16 protest referendum
“The people have deliv- that it said drew more than
ered the constitutional as- 7.5 million symbolic votes
sembly,” Maduro said on against the constitutional
national television. “More assembly.
than 8 million in the middle The president of the op-
of threats ... it’s when impe- position-led National As-
rialism challenges us that sembly, Julio Borges, told
we prove ourselves worthy Venezuelan news channel
of the blood of the libera- Globovision Monday that
tors that runs through the Maduro’s foes would con-
veins of men, women, chil- tinue protesting until they
dren and young people.” won free elections and a
National Electoral Council change of government.
President Tibisay Lucena He said Sunday’s vote had
announced just before given Maduro “less legiti-
midnight that turnout in macy, less credibility, less
Sunday’s vote was 41.53 popular support and less
percent, or 8,089,320 peo- ability to govern.”
ple. The electoral council’s Maduro called the vote for
vote counts in the past a constitutional assembly
have been seen as reliable Pedestrian walk past the main entrance of Venezuela’s National Assembly building in Caracas, in May after a month of
and generally accurate, Venezuela, Monday, July 31, 2017. Electoral authorities said more than 8 million people voted protests against his govern-
Sunday to create a constitutional assembly endowing President Nicolas Maduro’s ruling party
but the widely mocked an- with virtually unlimited powers - a figure widely disputed by independent analysts. ment, which has overseen
nouncement appeared (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Venezuela’s descent into
certain to escalate the po- a devastating crisis dur-
larization and political con- ing its four years in power.
flict paralyzing the country. ters by New York invest- The same pollsters noted administration again prom- Due to plunging oil prices
“If it wasn’t a tragedy ... if it ment bank Torino Capital that Venezuela has an es- ised “strong and swift ac- and widespread corrup-
didn’t mean more crisis, the and a Venezuela public timated 2.6 million govern- tions” against Venezuelan tion and mismanagement,
electoral council’s number opinion company estimat- ment employees, “suggest- officials, including the 545 Venezuela’s inflation and
would almost make you ed 3.6 million people vot- ing that a large fraction of participants in the consti- homicide rates are among
laugh,” opposition leader ed, or about 18.5 percent the votes could have not tutional assembly, many the world’s highest, and
Freddy Guevara said on of registered voters. “The been voluntary.” of them low-ranking party widespread shortages of
Twitter. Maduro has threat- results thus suggest that the The European Union and members. Maduro said he food and medicine have
ened that one of the con- government maintains an nations including Argen- had received congratula- citizens dying of prevent-
stitutional assembly’s first important loyal core of sup- tina, Canada, Colombia, tions from the governments able illnesses and root-
acts would be jailing Gue- porters that it can mobilize Mexico, Panama, Para- of Cuba, Bolivia and Nica- ing through trash to feed
vara for inciting violence. in both electoral and non- guay, Spain, Britain and ragua, among others. themselves.
An exit poll based on sur- electoral scenarios,” the the United States criticized Opposition leaders had The 545-seat constituent
veys from 110 voting cen- report concluded. Sunday’s vote. The Trump called for a boycott of the assembly will have the
task of rewriting the coun-
Mexico finds 147 migrants abandoned on roadside try’s constitution and will
have powers above and
beyond other state institu-
tions, including the opposi-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- says the migrants were unhealthy conditions in a They include 48 minors, tion-controlled congress.
can immigration officials found Sunday near the bid to reach the United including 14 unaccompa- Maduro made clear in a
have found 147 Central border of Veracruz and States. It says the smug- nied by adults. televised address Saturday
American migrants aban- the northern border state glers told the migrants to The migrants from Hondu- that he intends to use the
doned by a roadside, ap- of Tamaulipas.The agen- get out, saying they would ras, Guatemala, El Salva- assembly not just to rewrite
parently left by people cy says the migrants had return, but never did. dor and Nicaragua have the country’s charter but
smugglers. been transported aboard The migrants tried to find been taken into immigra- to govern without limita-
The immigration agency a tractor truck in crowded, shelter in the undergrowth. tion custody.q
tion. q