This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A small group of men staged a pre-dawn assault on an army base in Venezuela on Sunday, making off with weapons and declaring themselves in rebellion against the beleaguered government of President Nicolás Maduro.

'Here there is a chance': Venezuela crisis triggers exodus to Colombia Read more

Government officials and a spokesman for the rebellious soldiers offered conflicting versions of events at the Paramacay military base in Valencia, each side declaring victory.

Maduro, whose socialist government has come under widespread condemnation for moves seen as attempts to strengthen its grip on power, said 20 men stormed the base shortly before 4am. Sentries were caught off guard and the attackers made for the base’s weapons supply, he said.

Speaking on his weekly television programme, Maduro said loyal soldiers “responded with the assault rifles of the homeland”, killing two attackers and wounding another. Seven others were arrested and 10 escaped, he said, adding: “They are being actively searched for.”

Live footage from residential buildings facing the Paramacay base showed military and civilian helicopters flying low over wooded areas for much of the morning. Detonations were heard in the distance. Of those rebels who did not escape, according to Maduro, only one was a military officer and he had deserted a few months ago.

Gen Suárez Chourio, the army chief, said in a video statement the attackers had been “detained and defeated” and that “peace has triumphed”.

However, Capt Juan Caguaripano, the apparent leader of the rebellion, said on Twitter “the objectives were achieved satisfactorily in coalition with comrades of different components of the armed forces”.

Early on Sunday, Caguaripano launched a video on social media in which he declared a rebellion against the government.

Sgt Giomar Flores, who defected from the Venezuelan navy in June and is now living as a refugee in Colombia, told the Guardian “Operation David”, in which he said he was involved, had been a “complete success”.

“We took four battalions and one put up resistance,” said Flores, who claims to be in direct contact with the rebellious troops. He denied that any had been killed or captured. “That’s a lie,” he said.

Flores claimed that attackers made off with a “large amount of weapons”, mostly AK-103 assault rifles. He described the operation as the first phase of a broader military movement that has elements within the Venezuelan military and in units outside the country.

Venezuela chief prosecutor denounces 'siege' after troops surround her office Read more

“The mission of the movement is to recover the institutional thread of Venezuela and for the armed forces to return to their mission as established in the constitution,” he said.

Civilians near the base spilled on to the streets in apparent support for the dissident troops. Minor clashes between civilians and national guard units posted outside the base were reported.

In the video statement, Caguaripano said the action was not a coup d’etat: “This is a civic and military action to re-establish the constitutional order. But, more than that, it is to save the country from total destruction. We demand the immediate formation of a transition government.”

In 2014, amid a wave of anti-government protests, Caguaripano, a captain in the national guard, released a 12-minute video denouncing Maduro. He reportedly sought exile in the US after a military tribunal ordered his arrest.

The Venezuelan military top brass has been widely seen as loyal to the government, in part because Maduro has named active and retired officers to key government posts. But analysts have speculated how long that support can hold under immense international and domestic pressure for a change of leadership, amid crippling shortages of basic goods, including food and medicines, rampant inflation and uncontrolled crime.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country as the crisis has deepened and repression against political opponents and human rights defenders has increased.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Venezuela’s dismissed chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega speaks to the press. Photograph: Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images

The assault took place a day after the opening session of a new super-powerful constituent assembly, which dozens of countries and the Venezuelan opposition have called illegitimate, saying it serves only to support a Maduro “dictatorship” by bypassing the opposition-controlled legislature.

As its first act, the assembly dismissed the nation’s chief prosecutor, Luisa Ortega, a long-time government loyalist who broke with Maduro and has become one of the government’s sharpest critics.

Delegates later swore in as her replacement ombudsman Tarek William Saab, who was recently sanctioned by the Trump administration for failing to protect protesters from abuses in his role as the nation’s top human rights official.

Ortega said her dismissal was not legitimate. “I do not recognise that removal [from office],” she said in a speech on Sunday. “I am still the chief prosecutor of this country.”

Could political tension in Venezuela ignite a civil war? Read more

The US, which has imposed sanctions on Maduro, called Ortega’s sacking illegal, a state department spokeswoman saying it was aimed at tightening the “authoritarian dictatorship of [the] Maduro regime”.

Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Peru also slammed the decision. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced Venezuela’s indefinite suspension from the South American trading bloc Mercosur for its “rupture of the democratic order”.

“The countries of the region … must continue to tell the Venezuelan regime that in the Americas, there is no place for dictatorships or for the tyrants that lead them,” the secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) said in a statement.

More than 100 people have been killed, nearly 2,000 wounded and more than 500 detained in months of anti-government protests.

Two prominent opposition leaders, Antonio Ledezma and Leopoldo López, were taken from their homes by intelligence agents last week, then returned to house arrest on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

The opposition has vowed to maintain street protests against the assembly but rallies grew more muted this week as the assembly vowed to go after those seen as inciting street action.



</s>Venezuela's newly-elected Constituent Assembly has been inaugurated amid mass public demonstrations. President Maduro, however, says that the assembly is aimed at restoring peace and order in the country.with former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez elected as the legislative body's president, and former Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz elected as first vice president. "This national constituent assembly, convened by President Nicolas Maduro, is hereby formally inaugurated," Rodriguez said at the inauguration, also praising the late President Hugo Chavez, who she referred to as "our eternal commander," as cited by RTE News.and described the inauguration day as "magnificent," AFP reports. "I want to thank Maduro for having stirred the wise powers of the Venezuelan people," Rodriguez said The new assembly is seated in an ornate oval chamber under a golden dome in the 145-year-old Legislative Palace, the same building where the opposition-dominated National Assembly is located, though in a different room.The Constituent Assembly will meet again on Saturday, andshe said, as quoted by AP.Meanwhile, police in the capital have deployed tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with opposition supporters. The demonstrations, often violent, have been going on for months. The opposition boycotted the Constituent Assembly election, holding instead a symbolic vote in mid-July, in which over 7 million people rejected the move. The government did not recognize the vote.The Constituent Assembly will have the power to change the country's 1999 constitution. Henrique Capriles, an opposition leader, said that "the government wants to sell the constituent assembly as a solution to the problems. But it's only aggravating them."A stringer on the ground, Carlos Camacho, described to RT the state of things in Venezuela. He thinks that the protests will take a long time to die down, because the stand-off is too strong at the moment.The opposition hasn't renounced the demonstration, but maintains that153 people have been killed since demonstrations started in late March. I see that the situation is continuing, or maybe even getting worse. I don't see it die down anytime soon. Both sides are entrenched."Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro slammed the US for its attempt to disrupt the Venezuelan economy with sanctions, which the president described as an "indirect blockade" in an interview with RT. "As a president, I appeal to him, to President Donald Trump: Stop aggression towards Venezuela. Venezuela is a fundamental basis of stability in the whole Caribbean Basin," Maduro said</s>VALENCIA/CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities quelled an attack on a military base near the city of Valencia by soldiers and armed civilians on Sunday, killing two of them in a dramatic escalation of unrest in the protest-convulsed South American nation.

The pre-dawn raid coincided with a video circulated on social media showing more than a dozen men in military uniform announcing an uprising to restore constitutional order following the creation of a pro-government legislative superbody on Friday, condemned internationally as a power grab by President Nicolas Maduro.

The assault highlighted the growing volatility of the OPEC member state after four months of sustained anti-government protests in which some 120 people have been killed. The opposition has denounced Maduro for dragging Venezuela toward dictatorship and has appealed to the military for help. (tmsnrt.rs/2ujuylf)

In his weekly televised show, the unpopular socialist leader condemned the attackers as “mercenaries”. He said around 20 armed men had entered the Fort of Paramacay near Valencia, about two hours west of capital Caracas, before dawn, surprising guards and making straight for the weapons cache.

Two of the attackers were killed in a firefight with soldiers, Maduro said. Socialist party officials said eight others were arrested, including at least three from the military, while the remainder made off with weapons.

“Those who escaped are being actively searched for, and we are going to capture them,” Maduro said.

In Valencia, hundreds took to the streets to support what at first appeared to be a small military uprising, said resident Carolina Herrera, who like other witnesses reported shots through the night. But hooded protesters were dispelled with tear gas, and the rest of the nation of 30 million people appeared mostly calm.

Last week, Venezuela elected a 545-member legislative superbody that Maduro calls Venezuela’s only hope for restoring peace. The opposition calls it a power play aimed at keeping the president in office despite approval ratings battered by a deep recession, high inflation and shortages of food and medicine.

It was a turbulent first weekend for the increasingly fractured nation under the new authority.

In its first move on Saturday, the Constituent Assembly removed Venezuela’s dissident chief prosecutor from her post and ordered her to stand trial, confirming opposition fears that it would use its powers to root out critics of the government.

‘DELIRIOUS MINDS IN MIAMI’

The crisis has turned attention to the role of the military, with some ordinary soldiers increasingly weary of the popular backlash against their role in suppressing protests.

Sunday’s attack was apparently led by Juan Carlos Caguaripano, a former National Guard captain. Authorities published photos purporting to show seven arrested men, some of them with bruises on their faces.

In the video circulating Sunday, a man who identified himself as Caguaripano and flanked by men in military uniforms, called for the immediate formation of a transition government.

“This is not a coup d’etat,” added Caguaripano, who was removed from the National Guard in 2014, according to a document seen by Reuters.

“This is a civic and military action to re-establish constitutional order. But more than that, it is to save the country from total destruction.”

A still image from video released by Operation David Carabobo purportedly shows a group of men dressed in military uniforms announcing uprising in Valencia, Venezuela August 6, 2017. Operation David Carabobo/Handout via REUTERS

Sunday’s apparent bid to spur a national uprising came six weeks after rogue policeman Oscar Perez attacked key installations in Caracas by helicopter. Perez, who also failed to spark a larger movement, is still in hiding.

Authorities said the attackers were mostly civilians working for U.S.-backed right-wingers who are trying to end nearly two decades of socialism in Venezuela, raising the specter of a further government crackdown on dissent in coming days.

“These attacks, planned by delirious minds in Miami, only strengthen the morale of our armed forces and the Bolivarian people,” said Socialist Party official Elias Jaua.

The new assembly, which Maduro says is needed to enshrine socialism more profoundly in the constitution, has the power to dissolve or reconstitute all government bodies. The opposition, which controls Congress, boycotted the election for the new body, saying the rules had been rigged.

The fired prosecutor, Luisa Ortega, had become Maduro’s main challenger from within the ruling socialist movement since the start of sustained opposition street protests in April.

Her successor has promised to crack down on the demonstrations but Ortega on Sunday rejected her removal as illegal and said she still considers herself the country’s top prosecutor.

ARMED FORCES IN SPOTLIGHT

Oil-rich but economically ailing Venezuela has a long history of instability. Maduro’s mentor, the late Hugo Chavez, burst onto the national scene by leading a 1992 coup attempt, for which he served time in jail before winning the presidency six years later.

Venezuelans view the armed forces as the key power broker in their country, and opposition leaders have repeatedly exhorted the military to break with Maduro over what they call his erosion of democracy and brutality toward demonstrators.

Slideshow (11 Images)

The military has played a key role in government since Chavez - himself a former military officer - swept to power in 1999 promising to bring greater equality to Venezuela, home to the world’s largest oil reserves.

The top brass continues to publicly profess loyalty to Maduro’s government. Critics say juicy government contracts, corruption, and contraband mean many military officials want Maduro to stay in office and fear persecution should the opposition take power.

Discontent is higher among lower-tier officials, who are often sent to control rowdy protests and are paid just a few dozen U.S. dollars a month.

“You can’t ask civil society and the military to suffer more hunger, crime, and corruption perpetrated by this repressive government,” said opposition lawmaker Carlos Michelangeli.</s>Caracas: "Terrorists" attacked a military base in Venezuela's third-biggest city of Valencia on Sunday but soldiers defended it and arrested several people, officials said.

"In the early morning hours, terrorist attackers entered the Paramacay Fort in Valencia...," Diosdado Cabello, a Socialist Party leader, said on his Twitter account.

The situation was under control with "various terrorists detained," he added.

Local media and social networks spoke of a possible military uprising at the base against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, but there was no immediate confirmation.

One video was posted in which a man presenting himself as an army captain declared a "legitimate rebellion." Around him stood 15 other men dressed in camouflage, some of them armed.

He demanded the "immediate formation of a transitional government and free elections."

The head of the armed forces, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, tweeted: "They couldn't do anything against the FANB (military)... They try to assault it with terrorist attacks. They can't."

The reported unrest occurred as a new assembly with supreme powers and loyal to Maduro starting sitting in Venezuela, a week after it was elected in polls marred by violence and allegations that the results were tampered with.

The opposition and dozens of countries say the new body is illegitimate and serves only to create a "dictatorship" by bypassing the opposition-controlled legislature.

In its first act on Saturday, the body, the Constituent Assembly, ordered the dismissal of the country's attorney general, Luisa Ortega, who became a vociferous critic after breaking ranks with Maduro.</s>The Venezuelan army said two people were killed on Sunday as it put down a “paramilitary” attack on a military base in Valencia, the country’s third largest city. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino described the early-morning incident as a “terrorist attack” carried out by “delinquent civilians wearing military uniforms.” However, during the attack the men released a video claiming they were soldiers from the 41st Brigade of Fort Paramacay. They said they were defending democracy via a “legitimate rebellion,” not staging a coup.

“We are united now, more than ever, with the brave people of Venezuela who do not recognize the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s murderous tyranny,” said a man claiming to be Captain Juan Caguaripano of the National Guard, who deserted in 2014.

The incident came two days after the Constituent Assembly — a newly elected group tasked with rewriting the constitution — was sworn in. On Saturday, the assembly unanimously fired Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz, a critic of President Nicolás Maduro who said she would investigate claims of fraud in the election for assembly representatives. Many foreign governments have condemned the rewriting of the constitution as a power grab by Maduro, and the United States responded by placing sanctions on top Venezuelan officials.

The army said it retook the base, and seven people involved in “Operation David” were arrested. Several others escaped with weapons and a manhunt is under way.

The incident is another sign that Venezuela’s political crisis is spinning out of control, though experts said a larger military uprising is unlikely. The AP notes that then-president Hugo Chavez already purged the military following a 2002 coup, placing loyalists in top positions. Maduro has given the military more political power and financial bonuses, while civilians struggle amid high inflation and widespread shortages.

Ivan Briscoe, head Latin American analyst for the International Crisis Group, told the AP that organizing an uprising without Maduro’s knowledge would be very difficult. “It’s very hard to create critical mass without being found out,” he said. “In an era of instant digital communications, authorities can be alerted to the risk of destabilization very quickly.”</s>Small group dressed in military fatigues, some armed with assault rifles, declares a rebellion against Venezuela’s president. The video was released on the same day as a ‘terrorist’ attack at a military base controlled by troops loyal to the Maduro government, near the city of Valencia</s>The Venezuelan military suppressed an attack on an army base by anti-government soldiers and civilians near the city of Valencia early on Monday, Reuters reported. Two attackers were killed in the operation, one wounded and seven captured, reported AP. However, Reuters put the number of captured attackers at eight, quoting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Another 10 attackers escaped.

In a televised address, Maduro, who won a controversial referendum on July 31, condemned the attackers as “mercenaries”. “We know where they are headed and all of our military and police force is deployed.” He said he would seek maximum punishment for the “terrorists”. “Those who escaped are being actively searched for, and we are going to capture them.”

Maduro claimed that 20 men had entered the military base at night, and managed to reach the base’s weapons depot before an alarm sounded. He said 10 of the intruders escaped carrying ammunition with them. Those left behind fought the soldiers until 8 am, when all of them had been killed or captured, the president said. “Today, we had to defeat terrorism with bullets,” Maduro claimed.

Former Venezuelan National Guard captain Juan Carlos Caguaripano apparently led the attack. A Youtube video showed a man who identified himself as Caguaripano, calling for the immediate formation of a transitional government in the country. “This is not a coup d’etat. This is a civic and military action to re-establish constitutional order. But more than that, it is to save the country from total destruction.”

Venezuela is facing a crisis, as several countries including the US have criticised it for its most recent election, which sough to establish a Constituent Assembly to give more power to Maduro’s government. Though the government won the vote, the company that conducted voting had said the referendum was fixed.</s>Senior ruling party official says situation under control at Paramacay military base as authorities arrest seven.

Troops in Venezuela have put down an attack on an army base near the city of Valencia, officials have said, shortly after a video surfaced of uniformed men declaring a military rebellion there.

Diosdado Cabello, the Socialist Party's deputy, said troops acted quickly on Sunday to quash the assault at the Paramacay base.

Military chiefs said the rebels, whom they described as "terrorists," were trying to steal weapons and that seven people were detained after the attack.

The armed forces "successfully repelled a paramilitary criminal terrorist attack, the 7 captured is giving information!" Rear Admiral Remigio Ceballos, head of the military's strategic operational command, said on Twitter.

The announcement came after a small group of men dressed in military fatigues, some armed with assault rifles, released a video declaring an uprising in Carabobo state, where Valencia is located.

In the video, a man identifying himself as Captain Juan Caguaripano said that any unit refusing to go along with its call for rebellion would be declared a military target.

"We demand the immediate formation of a transition government," Caguaripano said. He was flanked by about a dozen men in military uniforms.

"This is not a coup d'etat," he said. "This is a civic and military action to re-establish constitutional order. But more than that, it is to save the country from total destruction."

One witness in the area told the Reuters news agency of hearing gunshots before dawn.

The Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Venezuela has been rocked by a wave of anti-government protests in the past several months that have left more than 100 people dead.

The reported attack in Paramacay comes two days after government allies inaugurated a new legislative superbody that the opposition and dozens of countries denounced as a power grab by President Nicolas Maduro.

In its first act on Saturday the Constituent Assembly ordered the dismissal of the country's attorney general, Luisa Ortega, a vocal government critic.

The opposition is struggling to regain its footing in the face of the government's tactics and re-emergence of old, internal divisions.</s>Pro-Nicolas Maduro military forces thwarted a small military rebellion in the city of Valencia. The country of Venezuela has been roiled by uncertainty and fear in the midst of a historic economic crisis. Reuters reported in 2016 that consumer prices rose 800 percent. The astounding levels of inflation were coupled with Venezuela’s GDP shrinking 18.6 percent.

The latest spark for chaos in the near failed-state is the controversial establishment of a legislative superbody that is comprised entirely of Maduro’s ruling Socialist Party. It is anticipated that the newly formed 545-member legislative assembly will rewrite the Venezuela’s constitution, granting Maduro sweeping powers.

Seven men clad in military uniforms were arrested in Valencia after a night of uprisings spark by their call to action on social media to oppose the newly formed legislative superbody, the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). The military clad personnel stated of the measures of rebellion taken, “This is a civic and military action to re-establish the constitutional order, but moreover, to save the country from total destruction. To catch the murders of our youth and relatives.”

Government officials described the events of the early morning hours as a “terrorist attack”.

Brazil’s government recommended that Venezuela be suspended from the South American trade bloc, Mercosur, until democracy is returned to the failing nation. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile are members of Mercosur. Brazil’s Foreign Minister Aloysio Ferreira told reporters, “We are saying: Stop with this! Enough with the deaths, enough with the repression. It is not possible to inflict such torture to the people.”

The first act of the the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) was to oust and schedule a trial for Venezuela’s attorney general, Luisa Ortega. Ortega has been a vocal critics of Maduro, and has vowed to investigate the controversial election that established the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). Of her dismissal, Ortega stated, “[This is] just a tiny example of what’s coming for everyone that dares to oppose this totalitarian form of ruling.”

Venezuelan government officials perceive the military rebellion led by Juan Juan Carlos Caguaripano in Valencia as being a conspiracy coordinated by the United States. Socialist Party official Elias Jaua stated, “These attacks, planned by delirious minds in Miami, only strengthen the morale of our armed forces and the Bolivarian people.”

Venezuela is an OPEC member state and has the largest oil reserves in the world. Analyst fear Venezuela is on the verge of becoming a violent civil war torn nation-state, just as fellow OPEC member states, Libya and Iraq are.</s>“We know where they are headed and all of our military and police force is deployed,” Maduro said. He said he would ask for “the maximum penalty for those who participated in this terrorist attack.”

One of the invaders was injured, seven captured and 10 got away, the embattled leader said.

Troops killed two of the 20 intruders who slipped into the Paramacay base in the central city of Valencia early Sunday, apparently intent on fomenting a military uprising, Maduro said in his weekly broadcast on state television.

VALENCIA, VENEZUELA—President Nicolas Maduro vowed that a band of anti-government fighters who attacked a Venezuelan army base will get the “maximum penalty” as his administration roots out his enemies.

The attack came as Venezuela’s controversial constitutional assembly is getting down to work, signalling in its initial decrees last week that delegates will target Maduro’s foes as he had warned.

The new assembly, whose powers supersede all other branches of government, voted to remove the nation’s outspoken chief prosecutor Saturday. On Sunday, Maduro announced that a new “truth commission” created by the assembly had been installed to impose justice on those fuelling the unrest that has wracked the country since early April.

The constitutional assembly is expected to meet again Tuesday, while lawmakers in the opposition-controlled National Assembly scheduled their own session for Monday, vowing to continue fulfilling their responsibilities no matter what the assembly might do. Leaders of opposition groups, which boycotted the July 30 assembly election, called for renewed protests on Monday, though turnout at demonstrations has been sparse in recent days.

Residents who live near the army base in Valencia attacked Sunday said they began hearing bursts of gunfire around 4:30 a.m.

A video showing more than a dozen men dressed in military fatigues, some carrying rifles, began circulating widely on social media around that time. In the recording, a man who identified himself as Capt. Juan Caguaripano said the men were members of the military who oppose Maduro’s socialist government and called on military units to declare themselves in open rebellion.

“This is not a coup d’etat,” the man said. “This is a civic and military action to re-establish the constitutional order.”

Maduro said 20 men entered the base and managed to reach the weapons depot undetected, but then an alarm sounded alerting troops to the incursion. He said 10 of the invaders fled, some carrying off arms, while those left behind exchanged gunfire with soldiers until about 8 a.m. before all were either killed or captured.

“Today we had to defeat terrorism with bullets,” Maduro said.

Nearby residents who saw the dissident group’s video online gathered around the military base chanting “Freedom!” Other protests also emerged around Valencia into the afternoon. Troops dispersed protesters with tear gas and a man was fatally shot at a demonstration less than a mile from the base, said Haydee Franco, co-ordinating secretary of the opposition Progressive Advance party.

More than 120 people have been reported killed in four months of unrest that has been fuelled by anger at the socialist government over food shortages, soaring inflation and high crime.

Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez characterized the attackers as a “paramilitary” expedition, saying the intruders were civilians dressed in uniforms. He did not identify any of the participants, but said they included a lieutenant who had abandoned his post. He said the man who recorded the video was a former officer dismissed three years ago after being charged with rebellion and betraying the homeland.

In 2014, Caguaripano released a 12-minute video denouncing Maduro during a previous wave of anti-government unrest. He later reportedly sought exile after a military tribunal ordered his arrest, appearing in an interview on CNN en Espanol to draw attention to what he said was discontent within military ranks.

Venezuela’s latest bout of political unrest erupted in protest to a Supreme Court decision in late March ordering the National Assembly dissolved. Although the order was quickly lifted, near-daily demonstrations snowballed into a general protest calling for a new presidential election.

Opposition leaders have urged the military, which historically has served as an arbiter of Venezuela’s political disputes, to break with Maduro over what his foes consider violations of the constitution. But the president is believed to still have the military’s support.

Like Sunday’s uprising, most manifestations of dissent among troops have been small and isolated so far.

“It’s still very hard to know to what extent there are significant divisions within the military,” Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, said recently.
Armed men dressed as soldiers, apparently led by former National Guard captain Juan Carlos Caguaripano, attack a Venezuelan Army base near Valencia, Carabobo, declaring themselves in rebellion against the National Constituent Assembly and President Nicolás Maduro. At least two people are killed.