Venezuela is prepared for a potential outbreak of violence in the capital of Caracas today as the country's new 167-member National Assembly is sworn in. This will be the first time in 17 years that rivals of the socialist revolution that was instigated by the late president Hugo Chavez will hold legislative power, according to the Washington Post.
Tensions have heightened in the Venezuelan government since the elections on Dec. 6, when the ruling PSUV party under President Nicolas Maduro was defeated by the right-wing coalition called the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). After winning 112 seats in the assembly, the MUD could hold a two-thirds super majority in the house - which would even allow them to call a referendum against President Maduro, TeleSUR explains.
However, last week the Supreme Court prevented four of the opposition lawmakers from taking their seats, in response to outcry from socialist supporters accusing the opposition of "stealing" the election, as the Latin Correspondent reported. That would dismantle opposition's majority.
Both sides have rallied their supporters for street demonstrations as the congress gathers for the first time today, TeleSUR reports. The incoming lawmakers, under the combative and outspoken Henry Ramos Allup, have promised extensive changes to the economically troubled country, while Maduro's party has maintained that the new assembly will not be permitted to undo the work of Chavez's revolution, according to the New York Times.
Since December's elections, Maduro has rapidly enacted measures to restrict the powers of the assembly, which he claimed will be a "bourgeois parliament," according to the BBC. For example, a decree was announced yesterday that will relinquish the assembly's control over naming and removing national bank directors, while also permitting the bank to keep some economic information secret.
Another last-minute amendment will allow the presidential government to sidestep congress on budget matters. These changes will diminish the ability of the National Congress to instigate economic reforms, The Guardian explains.
The potential political crisis would only serve to intensify the severe social and economic situation in the country, with skyrocketing inflation, extensive shortages, as well as surging crime. The Guardian reports that inflation in the country could be around 150 percent, with the economy having contracted by at least 10 percent last year.
