CARACAS: Venezuela’s opposition on Saturday called a fresh 48-hour general strike against embattled President Nicolas Maduro’s plans to have the constitution rewritten giving him broader powers. “We are calling out the entire (Venezuelan) people, all groups in society, for a 48-hour strike” Wednesday and Thursday lawmaker Simon Calzadilla said. With anti-government marchers still clearing streets Saturday, Calzadilla said that the strike would be capped on Friday with a march demanding that Maduro officially scrap his planned Constituent Assembly vote. Earlier police on motorcycles fired tear gas to break up an opposition march on the Supreme Court to press demands that elected socialist Maduro leave office, as months of sometimes deadly anti-government demonstrations showed no signs of abating. That rally was also meant as a show of support for a slate of 33 magistrates — a so-called shadow supreme court — whose names were put forward Friday by the opposition to replace Venezuela’s current high court, which is closely allied with Maduro and frequently rules in his favor.

Source: Manila Times July 23, 2017 03:00 UTC