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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 3 June 2017

Venezuelan president moves forward on constitution assembly

polling for delegates to the government has tradi-
the constitutional assembly tionally dominated.
plays well with the tens of According to Rodriguez, if
thousands of Venezuelans the opposition participat-
who’ve been taking to ed in Maduro’s polling for
the streets almost daily to the constituent assembly, it
seek Maduro’s removal, would likely perform better
frequently amid tear gas than it did in 2015 congres-
and rubber bullets. More sional elections, when its
than 60 people have been candidates took 57 per-
killed during the unrest. cent of the popular vote
But sitting out also entails nationwide.
some risks for the opposi- That would be sufficient to
tion. win the majority of district
Maduro has become so seats by a large enough
unpopular amid triple digit margin to overcome al-
inflation and widespread most whatever tricks the
shortages that he’s unable government deploys to
to win almost any election manipulate the sectorial
no matter how rigged the voting, he said.
rules are in favor of the Polls taken before the pro-
government, according to tests kicked off this spring
Francisco Rodriguez, chief show that around 80 per-
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, right, and first lady Cilia Flores greet supporters upon ar-
rival to a military parade at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela. On Thursday, June 1, 2017, Maduro economist at New York- cent of Venezuelans fa-
called on his wife and other heavyweights in the ruling socialist party to lead the government’s based Torino Capital. vored Maduro’s removal
campaign to rewrite the constitution. Under the rules Maduro this year. “I think the op-
(AP Photo/Fernando Llano) designed for the constitu- position is making a big
By FABIOLA SANCHEZ will choose 545 delegates process is an act of com- ent assembly polling, two- mistake,” said Rodriguez,
JOSHUA GOODMAN to the special conven- plicity with the constitu- thirds of the delegates will who helped mediate Vat-
Associated Press tion charged with rewrit- tional fraud and whoever be selected at a munici- ican-sponsored talks last
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ing the late President Hugo partakes will be declared a pal level, meaning sparse- year between the opposi-
— President Nicolas Mad- Chavez’s 1999 constitution. cohort of the fraud, coup, ly-populated rural areas tion and government. “The
uro has billed his plans to The opposition has all but repression and assassina- where the opposition has only way you can win an
rewrite the constitution as ruled out participating tion of Venezuelans who struggled to make inroads election with 20 percent
a battle to restore peace in what it considers a ploy by have fallen in the peaceful will have a larger say than support is getting your op-
Venezuela after more than officials to avoid elections protests for the sole reason cities where the protests ponent to not participate,
two months of deadly, an- the government would they were exercising their are raging. The remaining which is essentially what’s
ti-government unrest. The surely lose. The U.S. and sev- legitimate right to dem- delegates will be chosen happening.”
only problem is just one side eral foreign governments onstrate,” the opposition in a still-unclear voting ex- But he said if the opposi-
is likely to show up. have also condemned the Democratic Unity alliance ercise by sector-specific tion was to compete and
Friday was the deadline proposal for a new charter said in a statement this groups such as workers’ win, or even come close in
for candidates to register as anti-democratic. week. unions and community polling and gain the sup-
for the July election that “Any participation in this The decision to boycott councils — constituencies port of a growing number
of disaffected government
Police confiscate 60 automatic rifles at Rio airport supporters, it would have
an almost unfettered hand
By LILIANA MICHELENA people were arrested, and called the latest seizure as Rio authorities declared a to remove Maduro and
Associated Press a Brazilian citizen is being in- “the biggest in 10 years” in state of public calamity a purge the courts and oth-
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Po- vestigated in Miami, where Rio state. year ago and have strug- er institutions stacked with
lice confiscated 60 auto- the shipment originated, Authorities said they began gled to pay the salaries loyalists. Maduro is leaning
matic rifles found in a cargo officials said. investigating arms smug- of the public sector ever on socialist party stalwarts
shipment this week at Rio Police showed off the haul, gling in 2015 after tracing since, including police. to lead the fight for a new
de Janeiro’s international which included AK-47s and the origin of a weapon The city of Rio de Janeiro, constitution. On Thursday
airport, Brazilian authorities AR-15s, at a news confer- used in the killing of a po- which hosted the 2016 night he said first lady Cil-
said. ence. lice officer. Summer Olympics, has long ia Flores as well as his for-
The weapons were discov- Rio State Security Secre- Police representatives said struggled with violence. eign minister and other top
ered in a container along tary Roberto Sa said 250 they planned to use the Heavily armed drug traffick- aides will lead a slate of
with pool heaters in the automatic rifles in all have seized weapons, noting ers control many slums and candidates competing for
cargo section of Galeao been confiscated the last Rio state is struggling under seats in the special assem-
International Airport. Four five months in the state. He budgetary constraints. shootouts are frequent. q bly. q