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Venezuela opposition puts pressure on President Maduro Venezuela National Assembly: 'Government staged coup'
(about 4 hours later)
Venezuelan congressmen put President Nicolas Maduro under more pressure by voting to put him on trial for violating democracy. Members of Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly declared on Sunday that the government was engaged in "an ongoing coup d'etat".
In a special session, congressmen said he had broken constitutional law and carried out a coup d'etat. In an emergency session, lawmakers said there had been a "rupture of the constitutional order".
The move came days after officials blocked a popular vote on removing Mr Maduro from power. They also threatened to put President Nicolas Maduro on trial.
Ruling party officials accuse the opposition of fraud while collecting signatures needed for the referendum. The emergency session was called after the electoral authorities blocked opposition efforts to hold a referendum to remove Mr Maduro from power.
What has gone wrong with Venezuela? Why does the opposition want Mr Maduro out?
•Jobless and hungry in Venezuela The opposition blames President Maduro and his socialist government for the economic crisis which Venezuela is experiencing.
Venezuela's health system on its knees The International Monetary Fund has predicted that inflation will rise to 1,660% next year.
During the rowdy session in Congress, which was interrupted by government supporters bursting into the chamber, the opposition majority leader Julio Borges accused Mr Maduro of breaking the law by not allowing the popular vote to take place. The South American nation is already suffering from chronic shortages of many goods, including food and basic toiletries.
"It is a political and legal trial against President Nicolas Maduro to see what responsibility he has in the constitutional rupture that has broken democracy, human rights and the future of the country." Public hospitals have reported running out of medicine and being barely able to function.
Observers say the measures are unlikely to get any traction because, although the Congress is dominated by opposition parties, the government and the Supreme Court have systematically undermined the legislature. The opposition is calling for new elections as well as Mr Maduro's removal.
Ruling party officials have accused the opposition of fraud and have linked party members to alleged foreign forces and a business establishment which they say is trying to bring down the left-wing government. How can they oust Mr Maduro?
"The revolution will continue" Under Venezuela's constitution, a recall referendum can be held once a president has served half of his term in office and the requisite steps are met.
Congressmen also voted for nine other resolutions which included appealing to the international community for concrete support against Mr Maduro's government, and taking the National Electoral Council and judges who had blocked the referendum to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. So far, the opposition has completed step one of the process.
In a video message from Saudi Arabia, where President Maduro is discussing global oil prices, Mr Maduro reaffirmed that "the revolution will continue to win despite the constant pretentions of the right which is trying to take over power by unconstitutional means". The opposition was scheduled to start stage two of the process on 26 October.
The opposition parties have called for a peaceful mass protest across Venezuela on Wednesday in which they say they will "retake Venezuela step by step". But last week, the electoral authorities announced that the signature drive had been suspended after allegations of fraud in the first stage.
Despite its oil wealth, Venezuela has been plunged into an unprecedented economic crisis which has led to shortages of basic goods and medicines. The announcement was met with outrage by the opposition, which has long accused the National Electoral Council of doing the government's bidding and causing delays at every possible turn.
Correspondents say many Venezuelans fear that the preventing of the referendum could increase political tension and the chances of social unrest. Election delay causes opposition anger
What happened on Sunday?
The National Assembly, which is controlled by a coalition of opposition parties, held an emergency session.
The Assembly approved a resolution which declares that Venezuela has suffered a coup d'etat and the constitutional order has broken down, and urges Venezuelans to stand up in defence of the constitution.
The resolution also advocates
Lawmaker Julio Borges also said that the opposition would bring a political trial against President Maduro "to get to the bottom of his role in the break with democracy and human rights here".
What was the atmosphere like?
The session was tense and angry, with both government and opposition lawmakers giving fiery speeches.
Chaos erupted when a group of government supporters who had been demonstrating outside the Assembly building pushed past security guards and broke into the chamber.
The session had to be halted for 45 minutes while the protesters were removed.
The interruption was described in very different ways by the two rival sides.
Opposition lawmaker Julio Borges posted a video of the protests and called it "an attack on Venezuela's parliament".
Government lawmaker Diosdado Cabello on the other hand defended those who had interrupted the session, saying they had only been protecting the legitimate government and would do so another 1,000 times.
He also accused the National Assembly of carrying out its own coup d'etat.
How did Mr Maduro react?
President Maduro sent a video message from Saudi Arabia, where he was discussing global oil prices.
In it he said, "The revolution will continue to win despite the constant pretentions of the right which is trying to take over power by unconstitutional means."
President Maduro and his government have accused the opposition of having links to foreign states, and the US in particular, and of seeking to overthrow him to "lay their hands on Venezuela's oil riches".
What happens next?
The National Assembly has convened another session for 25 October in which it plans to discuss how to proceed next.
Analysts say the resolutions passed on Sunday are largely symbolic and unlikely to have much effect as the government and the Supreme Court have so far scuppered any attempts by the opposition to push through bills which President Maduro opposes.
The recall referendum, which has been the opposition's main strategy to drive Mr Maduro from office, is also stalled after the suspension of the second stage by the electoral authorities.
The opposition will likely look abroad for help in laying pressure on the government, in particular to the regional body Organization of American States (OAS).
OAS head Luis Almagro has previously threatened to invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which could lead to sanctions being imposed on Venezuela.
The opposition has also called for nationwide protests for Wednesday.