Maduro green lights consituent assembly referendum
June 2, 2017
Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro has said a referendum will be held on his controversial plan to create a constituent assembly. Meanwhile, ongoing protests over what the opposition claim is a power grab intensified.
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Maduro's comments on Friday came in response to criticism that his plan to create a new super-body - the constituent assembly - is an attempt to rewrite the national charter, the constitution.
"I shall propose it explicitly: the new constitution will go to a consultative referendum so it is the people who say whether they are in agreement or not with the new, strengthened constitution," Maduro said on state TV.
Opponents of the Socialist party president believe he aims to keep himself in power by packing the planned "constituent assembly" with his allies.
There was no word on when the plebiscite would be held.
The Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) will hold elections to the National Constituent Assembly in late July, with regional elections scheduled for December.
Protests paralyze Venezuela's society
DW talked to Venezuelan journalist and photographer Ivan Reyes whose images highlight the stories of the people marching against the government.
Image: Ivan Reyes
Journalism born of need
"I’d been working as a journalist for a year when the protests started in 2014. Many independent media have come into existence in the last two years due to the government censorship, and that's how I became a reporter," Ivan Reyes told DW. He started capturing the new wave of riots on a daily basis at the end of March.
Image: Ivan Reyes
Welcome to the stone age
The ruling by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which took away immunity from opposition parliamentarians, set off a surge of protests paralyzing the country. Although the protests were peaceful at first, government forces soon started throwing stones into the crowds. "Seriously, the police were given stones! This man, Lino Rivera, was hit by one on April 4," Reyes said.
Image: Ivan Reyes
Highway to hell
The marches take place all over Caracas every day, but they usually end on the city highways. This photo shows two officers of the national guard shooting tear gas grenades into the lines of protesters. "The projectiles should be shot above people’s heads - so the international laws says," says Reyes. "But the armed forces shoot straight into the demonstrators."
Image: Ivan Reyes
"We are all Juan"
Juan Pablo Pernalete, 20, died after being hit by a projectile on April 26. The death of the student of Universidad Metropolitana triggered angry protests in the following days. "People were chanting 'Todos somos Juan! Todos somos Juan!'" ("We are all Juan") Reyes told DW. Congressmen Miguel Pizarro and Carlos Paparoni and the Governor of Miranda Henrique Capriles all came to pay tribute.
Image: Ivan Reyes
Evasive action
Defense has become the key element for survival. "The people seem to be organized better every day," says Reyes. Against the wishes of the protest leaders, several groups have started using DIY weapons and even Molotov cocktails against the government forces, as seen in this photo. "It’s a battle they can’t win," says Reyes.
Image: Ivan Reyes
Heros of the day
"Jesús was one of those injured in the demonstrations on May 4. He was gasping and stuttering after he got hit in the head. People in the crowd spotted him and carried him to one side where paramedics gave him first aid. The members of Primeros Auxilios UCV are the real heroes of history," Reyes said of the group of doctors who go to the protests every day to help the injured.
Image: Ivan Reyes
The wrath of the women scorned
On May 6, a women’s protest against the regime was organized by Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, Venezuela's opposition party. The march wasn’t allowed to reach its destination, the Ministry of Justice, as they were halted by female officers of the national police. Former politician María Corina Machado and the student president of Universidad Central de Venezuela were among the protesters.
Image: Ivan Reyes
Ode to Venezuela
This image shot by Reyes went viral right after it was published by the author on May 8. The picture is one of the strongest snapshots from the Venezuelan protests, showing a young man walking down a road playing the Venezuelan anthem. "I don’t see the protests ending soon," said Reyes. "Let’s see which side gets tired first."
Image: Ivan Reyes
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Maduro loses key ally
The attorney general, Luisa Ortega, took a stand against Maduro on Thursday, launching a legal challenge against his bid to rewrite the constitution.
Ortega told reporters she had filed a case with the constitutional court on human rights grounds.
Elected in 2013, Maduro is resisting opposition calls for early elections to remove him.
Protests have left 60 people dead since April 1, when Maduro's opponents intensified their efforts to oust him after a Supreme Court ruling seizing power from the opposition-majority legislature.
Opposition leader threatened
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court threatened on Thursday to jail opposition leader Henrique Capriles if he allows anti-government protesters to block roads in the state he governs.
Capriles - who narrowly lost the 2013 presidential election to Maduro - would face six to 15 months in prison if he fails to comply.
jbh/bw (Reuters, AFP)
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