Venezuelan Opposition Party Calls for Government Change Within 6 Months
Venezuela's new opposition speaker, Henry Ramos Allup, announced on Jan. 5 that his party would soon take measures to force Socialist President Nicolas Maduro out of office.
Speaking at the National Assembly swearing-in ceremony, Ramos Allup said Venezuelans could expect a change in their government within six months. As quoted in AFP, the 72-year-old opposition politician said, "Here and now, things will change."
Venezuela's opposition MUD coalition won two-thirds of the congressional seats in the recent National Assembly election.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly swore in deputies to 163 of the 167 legislative seats. Four lawmakers (three from the opposition party and one from governing socialist party) were suspended on Dec. 30, 2015 from taking their seats due to a pending a lawsuit tied to alleged vote-buying.
As previously reported, Jesus Torrealba, the secretary-general of the right-wing Democratic Union Coalition, was so concerned over possible government actions against the newly elected lawmakers that he sent a letter to the Organization of American States, Mercosur, the United Nations, and the European Union asking for help. "The country, the region and the world face a judicial coup d'état attempt against the decision the Venezuelan people made at the ballot box," he wrote.
"Change is not dependent on any time-frame," said Ramos Allup on Tuesday, adding, "We are looking at a change in outlook, a change in the system, at changing what is bad, very bad -- and soon will get worse."
Julio Borges, the head of the opposition group in the legislature, said his party would seek a constitutional way to change the government. Under Venezuela's constitution, the president can be removed from office by a recall referendum.
As the The Wall Street Journal reports, Torrealba is also on board with his party’s desire for change. “If this government doesn’t understand the need for change that people have voted for, then we may have a new government in six months, ” he said.
However, this will not be easy for the new majority. The ruling party, which now has a minority, showed its displeasure with the new normal by walking out from the building halfway through the session as Ramos Allup spoke.
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