Venezuela: attorney-general asks High Court to nullify President 's ANC

Venezuela's attorney-general on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to suspend the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) called by President Nicolas Maduro to draft a new constitution, saying that it did not meet legal procedures.

Outside the Supreme Court building, Luisa Ortega said the National Election Council "committed violations of the principles of human rights, violations of the right to suffrage, and especially, violations of the principle of constitutional sovereignty" in approving Maduro's request to convene the ANC.

Venezuela has in the past few months seen its economic crisis worsening and social order deteriorating, with dozens killed in violent street protests as the government and the opposition continue their bitter power struggle.

According to Ortega, the process of drafting a new constitution will "accelerate" the crisis currently facing Venezuela, and all Venezuelans should reject the initiatives toward a new constitution, she added.

The Maduro government has said that the new constitution will "guarantee peace and coexistence among all Venezuelans," but the leading opposition coalition, known by its Spanish acronym MUD, has refused to take part in the process.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)