Venezuelans will elect 537 members of a new constitutional assembly that will be charged with drafting a new magna carta for the once prosperous nation. During that time, the sitting congress, the National Assembly, was shut down. The election is clearly illegitimate — David Smilde, Venezuelan expert at Tulane UniversityWhy did Maduro call for a new constitution? Critics fear the new assembly will replace the democratically elected National Assembly, which is controlled by opposition deputies. Assuming Maduro wins on Sunday, the constitutional assembly will convene Aug. 30 to begin drafting a new charter.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 29, 2017 21:11 UTC