Venezuela Opposition's Official Plan to Oust Nicolas Maduro Now Revealed
Venezuela's opposition is building up its strategy to oust President Nicolás Maduro before the end of his term.
According to NBC News, the opposition coalition will "simultaneously pursue a constitutional amendment, a recall referendum and a campaign to push for the resignation of the socialist president."
In his interview with the AP, opposition leader Americo De Grazia said the coalition arrived at an agreement on the strategy after a lengthy meeting last Wednesday. The coalition consists of more than a dozen political parties.
"We can't commit suicide by having just one card in our hand. Common political sense tells us we need to pursue several strategies," De Grazia said of their planned "triple-barreled" strategy, as quoted in another report from the Washington Post.
Maduro's six-year presidential term will end in 2019, the news outlet noted. In December, the opposition scored a "landslide victory in legislative elections" and vowed to oust Maduro from Venezuela's presidency within the first half of this year.
The Venezuelan president, whose approval rating is now in the 20 percent range, constantly refused calls for his resignation, the Washington Post noted. He has accused his critics of carrying out economic chaos to tarnish his administration.
The opposition's plans to oust Maduro all have potential disadvantages. One idea is to pursue a constitutional amendment that will reduce presidential terms from six to four years, a plan that will efficiently end his term. However, there are suspicions that this idea will be rejected by the Supreme Court, which is known for supporting the executive branch since Hugo Chavez, Maduro's mentor, became president in 1999.
A recall referendum is also being considered by the opposition. But in order to pursue this path, almost 4 million signatures are required to begin the process. According to the AP, "if a vote was called, winning a simple majority would not be enough. The opposition would need to surpass the number of votes Maduro won in 2013."
Protests
Students have protested last Tuesday against a ruling by the Supreme Court, which prevented the opposition-controlled National Assembly from reviewing new government appointments of lawmakers, BBC reported.
The National Assembly will discuss the government's nomination of 13 Supreme Court justices and 21 alternates on Tuesday, BBC added. The opposition said the judges that were sworn in all support the current administration to hinder the National Assembly's power.
The Supreme Court fired back at the National Assembly, saying that the reach of the group's power is only in the executive branch and not the judiciary, the news outlet noted. Therefore, the National Assembly is stepping over its boundaries if it tries to take out justices or review their appointments.