By Alexandra Ulmer and Andreina Aponte

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a meeting with workers at the Francisco de Miranda hydroelectric complex in Caruachi, Venezuela July 6, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

CARACAS (Reuters) - With many Venezuelans angry at the government and planning to sit out a July 30 vote for a new superbody assembly, President Nicolas Maduro has ordered all state workers to take part, seeking to avoid an embarrassingly low turnout.

After three months of anti-government unrest that has killed at least 90 people, Maduro has called for the Constituent Assembly, with powers to reform the national charter and supersede other institutions, in an election he says will bring peace.

Opponents plan a rival, unofficial referendum on July 16 to give Venezuelans a say on what they view as a sham poll by the leftist president, accusing him of trying to formalize a dictatorship in the South American OPEC nation.

Maduro has been trying to drum up his base, mostly state workers and poorer Venezuelans.

“If there are 15,000 workers, all 15,000 workers must vote without any excuses,” he told red-shirted supporters in the jungle and savannah state of Bolivar on Thursday night.

“Company by company, ministry by ministry, governorship by governorship, city hall by city hall, we’re all going to vote for the Constituent Assembly. Do you understand? Do you agree,” he said to a chorus of “Yes!”.

Roughly 2.8 million state employees, a sizeable part of Venezuela’s population of around 30 million, are often obliged to attend government rallies. Some have said they have already come under pressure to vote on July 30.

“This is crazy. (They’re saying), workers who don’t go to vote will be sacked,” said one employee of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.[PDVSA.UL], asking to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to media.

“I’ll vote, but null. I’m not going to vote for any of these nuts running for the assembly,” he added.

A second PDVSA worker, who supports the opposition, said company auditoriums were being used to give presentations about the constituent assembly. “I’m worried ... but I’m committed to the cause and I won’t vote,” he said.

CHURCH OBJECTS

Many familiar faces of the ruling Socialist Party are vying for a seat, including former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and powerful party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello. Maduro’s wife and son are also running.

The opposition has said Maduro’s pressure on workers is another sign he is violating democracy. Opponents are calling on him to agree to elections to replace him amid a brutal economic recession that has Venezuelans unable to afford basic food and medicine.

According to a recent survey by pollster Datanalisis, 67 percent of Venezuelans oppose the new assembly to rewrite the constitution, which was reformed by late leader Hugo Chavez in 1999.

The Catholic church has also come out against the plan.

“This congress has been pushed forward by force and its result will be to render constitutional a military, socialist, Marxist and communist dictatorship,” Archbishop Diego Padron, who heads the main church authority Venezuela’s Episcopal Conference, said on Friday.

The opposition coalition is hoping to further delegitimize Maduro’s plans with their own vote, which will ask Venezuelans their views on rewriting the constitution, the opposition’s alternative push for an election, and the military’s responsibility for “recovering constitutional order.”

Should Venezuelans overwhelmingly vote against Maduro, lawmaker Freddy Guevara said the opposition would call for a national strike to pressure the president.

Voting for the referendum will take place in some 1,766 sites and Venezuelans abroad, many of whom have fled Venezuela’s meltdown, can participate, opposition lawmakers announced on Friday. University deans will oversee the process.

“This is a civic rebellion,” Guevara said during the press conference. “We’re at a historic moment, I’m sure there will be a before and after July 16.”

Slideshow (4 Images)

State prosecutor Luisa Ortega has also broken ranks with Maduro over the constituent assembly. Amid an apparent bid to oust her, the Supreme Court named a deputy prosecutor, whom Ortega has rejected as illegitimate.

On Friday, the court-appointed deputy prosecutor entered the headquarters of the state prosecutor by hiding in the trunk of a car but was expelled by security personnel, a source at the prosecutor’s office told Reuters.

(This story corrects spelling to Nicolas from Nicholas in first paragraph)</s>Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro raised the stakes this week in his showdown with political opponents, ordering all state employees to vote July 30 for his new constituent assembly meant to write a new constitution and essentially crown him leader for life.

The latest arm-twisting by the government promises to heat up a more than three-month-old confrontation between the Maduro regime and thousands in the opposition, and which has already claimed 90 lives.

Maduro’s ballot-box demands came just a day after government forces allowed pro-regime thugs to storm into the National Assembly, the last bastion for the anti-Maduro opposition, and beat up opposition lawmakers.

In his attempt to remain in office, Maduro is looking to his base of state employees, and lower income Venezuelans, for support. But he’s not asking, he’s telling.

“If there are 15,000 workers, all 15,000 workers must vote without any excuses,” Reuters reported him saying in Bolivar on Thursday. The state workforce, which makes up about 10 percent of Venezuela’s population, has been coerced by the government before. In 2016, Maduro ordered a purge of employees at five key government ministries who signed a petition backing a referendum to recall the President from office. This time around, it seems state employees are once again being pressured politically.

“In theory, the vote will be ‘secret, direct, and universal,’ but there are always ways that the government can game the system,” says Moises Rendon, an associate director and associate fellow studying public policy issues in Latin America at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Government employees, the largest workforce in the country, are already threatened when they show signs of dissent.”

The big question now is whether the violence and tension in Venezuela will boil over into even more open conflict. Police and regime security forces have been clashing with protesters since the beginning of April. But the regime has also been eating its own: More than 100 soldiers have been jailed so far, AP reported, while Maduro’s own attorney general has defied the government.

On July 16, the opposition will hold its own informal referendum on Maduro’s planned new constitution, which could spark an even bigger crackdown from the regime. By the end of the month, with Maduro’s own vote, some experts worry Venezuela’s government could shatter into a pro-Maduro, new-constitution rump and an opposition-led National Assembly.

Unrest in Venezuela began on April 1 after the government-appointed Supreme Court essentially tried to take over the functions of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. Though that move was mostly reversed, it galvanized fears that Maduro was dragging the country even closer to an outright dictatorship.

The contrast with Venezuela’s own past — or the present of some once-struggling neighbors, like Colombia — is stark. In the 1960s, Venezuela was a beacon of transparency and democracy — and wealth. With democratic presidents Rómulo Betancourt, Raúl Leoni, and Rafael Caldera, Venezuela became a role model subsequently copied throughout Latin America, and one that offered refuge for political exiles seeking freedom.

But years of economic mismanagement under former president Hugo Chavez and then Maduro, aggravated by a slide in global oil prices, have poleaxed Venezuela’s economy, giving it the world’s highest inflation and a dearth of food, medicine, and other basic goods.

Despite all the violence unleashed by the regime and the heightened political turmoil, it’s an unequal battle.

“We are not in a civil war, because of the fact that the opposition is not armed,” Rendon said.</s>CARACAS, July 7 (Reuters) - Venezuela's unpopular president Nicolas Maduro has said all state workers must take part in a vote on July 30 for candidates to his controversial new superbody assembly, seeking to avoid an embarrassingly low turnout in a country seething with discontent.

Maduro has called for the Constituent Assembly, with powers to reform the constitution and supersede other institutions, in what he says is an attempt to bring peace after three months of anti-government protests in which at least 90 people have died.

Opponents say the leftist president is trying to formalize a dictatorship in the South American OPEC nation through what they view as a sham poll. They plan a rival, unofficial referendum on July 16 to give Venezuelans a say on his plan.

Maduro has been trying to drum up his base, which mostly encompasses state workers and poorer Venezuelans.

"If there are 15,000 workers, all 15,000 workers must vote without any excuses," he told red-shirted supporters in the jungle and savannah state of Bolivar on Thursday night.

"Company by company, ministry by ministry, governorship by governorship, city hall by city hall, we're all going to vote for the Constituent Assembly. Do you understand? Do you agree," he said to a chorus of "Yes!".

Venezuela's roughly 2.8 million state employees, a sizeable part of the population of around 30 million, are often obliged to attend government rallies, and some say they are already coming under pressure to vote on July 30.

"This is crazy. (They're saying), workers who don't go to vote will be sacked," said one employee of state oil company PDVSA, asking to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to media.

"I'll vote, but null. I'm not going to vote for any of these nuts running for the assembly," he added.

Many familiar faces of the ruling Socialist Party are vying for a seat, including former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and powerful party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello. Maduro's wife and son are also running.

The opposition says Maduro's pressure on workers is another sign he is violating democracy. Opponents are calling on him to agree to elections to replace him amid a brutal economic recession that has Venezuelans unable to afford basic food and medicine.

According to a recent survey by pollster Datanalisis, seven in 10 Venezuelans are opposed to rewriting the constitution, which was reformed by late leader Hugo Chavez in 1999.

The opposition coalition is hoping to further delegitimize Maduro's plans with their own vote, which will ask Venezuelans their views on rewriting the constitution, the opposition's alternative push for an election, and the military's responsibility for "recovering constitutional order." (Additional reporting by Andreina Aponte and Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry)</s>CARACAS, July 7 (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has said all state workers must take part in a vote on July 30 for candidates to his controversial new superbody assembly, seeking to avoid an embarrassingly low turnout in a country seething with discontent.

Maduro has called for the Constituent Assembly, with powers to reform the constitution and supersede other institutions, in what he has said is an attempt to bring peace after three months of anti-government protests in which at least 90 people have died.

Opponents have said the leftist president is trying to formalize a dictatorship in the South American OPEC nation through what they view as a sham poll. They are planning a rival, unofficial referendum on July 16 to give Venezuelans a say on his plan.

Maduro has been trying to drum up his base, which mostly encompasses state workers and poorer Venezuelans.

"If there are 15,000 workers, all 15,000 workers must vote without any excuses," he told red-shirted supporters in the jungle and savannah state of Bolivar on Thursday night.

"Company by company, ministry by ministry, governorship by governorship, city hall by city hall, we're all going to vote for the Constituent Assembly. Do you understand? Do you agree," he said to a chorus of "Yes!".

Venezuela's roughly 2.8 million state employees, a sizeable part of the population of around 30 million, are often obliged to attend government rallies, and some have said they have already come under pressure to vote on July 30.

"This is crazy. (They're saying), workers who don't go to vote will be sacked," said one employee of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., asking to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to media.

"I'll vote, but null. I'm not going to vote for any of these nuts running for the assembly," he added.

A second PDVSA worker said company auditoriums were being used to give presentations about the constituent assembly.

"I'm worried ... but I'm committed to the cause and I won't vote," he said.

Many familiar faces of the ruling Socialist Party are vying for a seat, including former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and powerful party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello. Maduro's wife and son are also running.

The opposition has said Maduro's pressure on workers is another sign he is violating democracy. Opponents are calling on him to agree to elections to replace him amid a brutal economic recession that has Venezuelans unable to afford basic food and medicine.

According to a recent survey by pollster Datanalisis, seven in 10 Venezuelans are opposed to rewriting the constitution, which was reformed by late leader Hugo Chavez in 1999.

The Roman Catholic church has also come out against the plan.

"This congress has been pushed forward by force and its result will be to render constitutional a military, socialist, Marxist and communist dictatorship," Archbishop Diego Padron, who heads the main church authority Venezuela's Episcopal Conference, said on Friday.

The opposition coalition is hoping to further delegitimize Maduro's plans with their own vote, which will ask Venezuelans their views on rewriting the constitution, the opposition's alternative push for an election, and the military's responsibility for "recovering constitutional order."

Voting for the referendum will take place in some 1,766 sites and Venezuelans abroad, many of whom have fled Venezuela's meltdown, can participate, opposition lawmakers announced on Friday. University deans will oversee the process.

"This is a civic rebellion," lawmaker Freddy Guevara said during the press conference. "We're at a historic moment, I'm sure there will be a before and after July 16." (Additional reporting by Andreina Aponte, Eyanir Chinea, Diego Ore and Deisy Buitrago; writing by Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry and Diane Craft)</s>Gov. Rick Scott is taking a stand against what he calls a brutal regime.

The governor wants to pass a law prohibiting Florida from doing business with any organization that supports the Venezuelan government.

“We really appreciate what the governor is doing because he's taking the side of justice,” says Norma Reno, who founded Casa Venezuela Tampa Bay.

The group of 13 has made it their mission to educate the community on Venezuela's economic crisis.

Whether it's public speaking or marching in the streets, they're making their voices heard.

The organization helps Venezuelan refugees resettling in Tampa Bay along with sending donations to the country.

“We are at war in Venezuela. We're on the edge of having a civil war because people are fighting for their freedom and democracy,” says Reno.

The organization was founded in early June, but members of the group have been helping the Venezuelan people separately for years.

“You have the opportunity of protesting here and not being attacked by the National Guard or being bombed for expressing yourself,” she says.

It's a right Reno is thankful for: freedom of speech.

Protesters opposing the Maduro regime in Venezuela have been beaten and killed.

 

 On July 30, 500 delegates will be tasked with rewriting the country’s current constitution.

Those opposing it fear that the country will end up with a Cuban-style government, where there are no free elections.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said the new constitution is for the better.

“We're going to prevail and we're going to win this war,” says Ana Maria Tague, with Casa Venezuela Tampa Bay.

That's why Scott wants to pass a law prohibiting Florida from doing business with any organization that supports the Venezuelan government. He says he will give more details about the proposal before the Aug. 16 cabinet meeting.

But, it is important to note, federal courts have declared similar measures in the past relating to Cuba and Syria unconstitutional.

She says most hospitals are without basic medicine and the infant mortality rate is high.

“We're sending medical supplies, medicine, formula for the kids, diapers,” says Tague.

Aside from that help, the group is also informing local Venezuelans how to vote in the unofficial referendum taking place July 16, so they can have a say on what's written in the constitution.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela — Anti-government protests in Venezuela hit the symbolic mark of 100 days on Sunday with a grim record of at least 92 dead and more than 1,500 injured. The decision Saturday to release opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez from prison and place him under house arrest has once again stirred hopes that socialist President Nicolas Maduro and his opponents could sit down for talks aimed at ending the bloodshed.

The opposition gained control of the National Assembly in 2015 by a landslide amid mounting frustration with Maduro's handling of the economy, spiraling crime and food shortages. After a year of intense feuding, in late March the government-stacked Supreme Court issued a ruling stripping the legislature of its last powers. The decision was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism but it had already touched off anger among the government's opponents and triggered street protests that still occur almost daily.

Then Maduro did something to anger his opponents even more: He called on May 1 for rewriting Venezuela's constitution. A vote to elect delegates to the special assembly to rewrite the charter is scheduled for July 30. Maduro insists rewriting the constitution is the only way to restore peace, but the opposition views it as a ruse to install a Cuba-like dictatorship. They have called for a symbolic vote of their own on July 16 to reject Maduro's plans.

One reason that mistrust between the government and opposition is running so high is because negotiations last year ended with little to show for them. Those talks were sponsored by the Vatican and a group of former leaders of other nations led by ex-Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, who helped broker Lopez's release.

To sit down again, the opposition is demanding Maduro commitments that it says he made during the previous round of talks, including freedom for political prisoners and a schedule for gubernatorial elections that were postponed last year. It's less clear what the government would bargain for besides an end to the unrest and political cover for some tough measures to get the economy back on its feet. Many also suspect that as Maduro's grip on power weakens he and his inner circle will seek assurances that they won't face prosecution in the event of a transition.

Last month, a police inspector stole a police helicopter and strafed the Supreme Court and another government building with gunfire and grenades. The surprise attack prompted concerns about a possible uprising by the military, which has traditionally been the arbiter of political disputes in Venezuela.

Since the protests began, more than 100 members of the military are believed to have been jailed for crimes ranging from theft of weapons to rebellion and treason — a high number that suggests the military's support for the government may be wavering.

But while Maduro has repeatedly warned about attempts by what he says are U.S.-backed agents to sow dissent within the military, there so far is little to suggest a mass revolt is underway. The late President Hugo Chavez and Maduro spent years winning over top military brass with bonuses in sought-after dollars, powerful government jobs and patronage.

Oil accounts for 96 of Venezuela's export earnings and the plunge in world petroleum prices hit the government hard, leaving it owing money across the board, from foreign airlines to oil service companies. But every day Venezuela is paralyzed by protests it digs itself deeper into an economic hole that will be harder for Maduro or his successor to recover from.

Polls say 75 of Venezuelans want Maduro gone, but about 20 still back him. That is actually similar to the support enjoyed by leaders in Brazil, Chile and Colombia. More importantly, Maduro maintains a tight grip on almost every branch of government and institution, though support within his ruling socialist party is fraying.

The opposition has historically been divided by big egos and had a tough time connecting with poor people who still revere Chavez and his socialist revolution. But the opposition is more united than it has been in recent years. Both hardcore and moderate opposition leaders want to keep up street protests and push for new general elections.</s>Supporters of President Nicolas Maduro, many wielding pipes, stormed Venezuela’s opposition-led congress on July 5 and attacked lawmakers who oppose the socialist president.

Seven politicians were injured by the mob and some 350 lawmakers, journalists and guests at the Independence Day session were trapped until the siege ended at dusk, National Assembly president Julio Borges told reporters.

“There are bullets, cars destroyed including mine, blood stains around the (congress) palace,” Borges said. “The violence in Venezuela has a name and surname: Nicolas Maduro.”

The mob had gathered just after dawn outside the building in downtown Caracas, Reuters reported. In the late morning, several dozen people ran past the gates with pipes, sticks and stones and went on the attack.

Several injured lawmakers stumbled bloodied and dazed around the assembly’s corridors. Some journalists were robbed, the report said.

After the morning attack, a crowd of roughly 100 people, many dressed in red and shouting “Long Live The Revolution!” trapped people inside for hours, witnesses said.

Some in the crowd outside the National Assembly building brandished pistols, threatened to cut water and power supplies, and played an audio of late socialist president Hugo Chavez saying “Tremble, oligarchy!”

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Login To Your FaceBook to Make Comments</s>Venezuela's Catholic Church said Friday that constitutional reforms planned by the country's leftist government in response to a deadly political crisis were turning the country into a "military dictatorship."

The plan "will be imposed by force and its result will be that constitutional status will be given to a military, socialist, Marxist and communist dictatorship," the head of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, Diego Padron, told a news conference.

The church has long had strained relations with President Nicolas Maduro, who is under mounting opposition and international pressure to hold early elections.

The center-right opposition accuses Maduro of maneuvering to cling to power against its demands for a vote on removing him.

It blames him for an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food and medicine. He says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy.

Catholic leaders tried last year to mediate in negotiations between the government and opposition. The talks collapsed with the sides accusing each other of bad faith.

Pope Francis called this month for "an end to violence and a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis" in Venezuela.

At least 91 people have died over the past three months in clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations, prosecutors say.

Maduro has meanwhile infuriated his opponents by launching a plan to form an assembly tasked with rewriting the constitution.

Opponents say he will pack this "constituent assembly" with allies in a bid to cling to power.

Voting for members of the assembly is scheduled for July 30.

The opposition MUD coalition plans to hold its own popular vote against the plan on July 16.

Maduro retains the public backing of the military high command -- a key factor in keeping him in power, according to analysts.

But the president last month said he was replacing four senior commanders of the armed forces.</s>Caracas : A Venezuelan helicopter pilot who vanished after dropping grenades on the Supreme Court has reappeared in an online video, as justices on Wednesday considered whether to hold a trial that would remove the country’s defiant chief prosecutor.

Oscar Perez - who claims support from members of the military, police and public servants - urged Venezuelans in the video posted late Tuesday to “stand firm in the streets” in their protests against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

At least 91 people have been killed in street protests that have rocked the socialist Maduro government over the past three months. On Tuesday anti-government protesters blocked streets in Caracas and elsewhere. Protesters blame Maduro for Venezuela’s desperate economic crisis. He blames the chaos on a US-backed conspiracy.

While Perez’s dramatic actions may be a sideshow in the country’s deadly political crisis, the possible destitution of chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega - the most senior figure to defy Maduro - suggests a split in the government that could tip the balance of power.

Ortega, 59, refused to appear in court Tuesday in a case she says was trumped up by the authorities after she defied Maduro.

“I am not going condone a circus that will stain our history with shame and pain and whose decision is foretold,” Ortega told reporters.

“I have committed no crime nor errors and I am not going to submit to this unconstitutional and illegitimate court,” she said. “We already know that today I will be removed from my post.”

Ortega accuses Maduro of violating the constitution with his plan to hold a special assembly to rewrite the document.

Opponents say this “constituent assembly” will be packed with allies that will allow him to cling to power.

She had earlier accused the pro-government Supreme Court of undermining democracy through a short-lived ruling that seized power from the opposition-led legislature.

That ruling helped spark the current wave of protests.

As violence swelled, Ortega accused police of killing protesters - comments that enraged Maduro, who branded her a traitor.

Pro-government lawmaker Pedro Carreno has filed charges against Ortega, alleging “serious errors in the carrying out of her functions.”

He also alleged she was suffering from “insanity” and should be fired.

The court held its hearing Tuesday in her absence and said afterwards it would decide within five days whether to send her to trial and suspend her from office.</s>After almost three months of daily anti-government demonstrations, what Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro needed most was an excuse to impose martial law, or at least to use major violence and mass arrests to close the protests down.

On June 27, Maduro got his excuse. A stolen police helicopter flew over the Supreme Court building in Caracas – and dropped a couple of hand grenades near it.

As “terrorist” incidents go, it was so incompetent and downright silly that you begin to suspect that it wasn’t a “false flag” operation sponsored by the government after all. If Maduro’s people were aiming to give themselves an excuse for a crackdown, surely they would have come up with something more impressive than a guy in a helicopter dropping a couple of hand-grenades at random onto the Supreme Court lawn.

The man behind this attack was Oscar Perez, a police officer who announced in a video posted on Instagram that he was launching an armed struggle against tyranny.

“We are a coalition of military employees, policemen and civilians who are looking for balance and are against this criminal government,” Pérez said, and the four armed men standing behind him in the video tried to look fierce. The ski-masks helped a bit, but it was hard not to giggle. They really didn’t look very dangerous.

But you have to work with the material at hand, and Maduro did his best to inflate the incident into a major terrorist attack.

“I have activated the entire armed forces to defend the peace,” he said. “Sooner or later, we are going to capture that helicopter and those who carried out this terror attack.” (And while we are at it, we will round up a lot of other people who support the opposition.)

Maduro can no longer stay in power by democratic means. There is no doubt that he won the presidency by a narrow but genuine majority (1,5%) in the 2013 election that followed the death of Hugo Chavez, the hero-founder of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. But there is also no doubt that the opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, won a landslide victory in the parliamentary election of 2015.

What made the difference between those two elections was the price of oil. In 2013, it was around US$100 per barrel. By 2015 it was in the low US$40s and it is still there today.

Venezuela is not a rich country, although most Venezuelans believe it is. It has a lot of oil, but it produces almost nothing else and imports practically everything it consumes. So it is rich when oil is at US$100 – but it is very poor when it is below US$50. The country is therefore now broke.

For reasons having nothing to do with alleged plots by the United States or the wicked local elites, per capita income in Venezuela has fallen by more than half in the past two years. So people are angry, including many of the poor people who benefitted from Chavez’s generosity with the oil revenues back in the Good Old Days. There is a presidential election due next year, and as things stand now, Maduro would probably lose by two-to-one.

The National Assembly has had a two-thirds majority of opposition members since the 2015 election and it has been pressing hard to bring the presidential election forward to this year. Maduro had to stop that and his first step was to have the Supreme Court, which is packed with Chavez and Maduro appointees, strip the National Assembly of all its powers and take them for itself.

This is what triggered the daily anti-government demonstrations that began in early April. The Supreme Court’s action was clearly unconstitutional and after three days that also saw protests from members of his own party, Maduro ordered the judges to backtrack on their decree. But the protesters, with the bit between their teeth, stayed out in the street. Despite 70 dead in the past three months, they are still there today.

So Maduro, desperate to sideline the National Assembly, then came up with the idea of rewriting the constitution.

There was no referendum to test popular support for this idea and the people in the “constituent assembly” are being chosen according to rules set by the Maduro government.

The new constitution will presumably prevent any further unfortunate accidents like the opposition parliamentary victory in 2015 — and by a happy coincidence (for Maduro), it also provides an excuse for not holding the scheduled presidential election in 2018. After all, new rules are coming. Why do it under the old rules?

Nobody is fooled by all this flim-flam and it is no surprise that Perez, whether he is a deluded revolutionary or a secret government stooge flying false colours, chose to drop his little hand-grenades on the Supreme Court. It has become a symbol of the illicit manipulation by which Maduro clings to power and therefore a natural target for those who oppose the government (or pretend to).

In either case, Maduro has his pretext, and will now clamp down harder and try to terrify the opposition into submission. It is probably going to get much nastier yet in Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says voting in his upcoming election on July 30 is mandatory for all 2.8 million state employees, with employees who do not vote facing ostracisation. Opponents of the government plan to hold their own unofficial referendum on the Maduro government on July 16.