Venezuela Assembly Selects Impassioned Maduro Ally as Its Leader
- The body sets to work Saturday rewriting the constitution
- Critics say it formalizes authoritarian power for president
Venezuela Inches Closer to Dictatorship
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Venezuela’s newly convened and widely reviled assembly that will rewrite the constitution selected as its leader Delcy Rodriguez, a former foreign minister and fiery ally of President Nicolas Maduro.
Defying calls from Pope Francis and countries around the world as well as the threat of expanded U.S. sanctions, the body met for the first time in a hall across a courtyard from the Caracas building used by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. While fears of violent clashes had emerged in the days leading up to the initial meeting, the event was largely peaceful even as the opposition planned to march in protest.