Venezuela’s new legislative body plans to take office Friday amid voter fraud claims, protests and the lack of support from the international community.
The National Constituent Assembly, all nominated by President Nicolas Maduro, was elected during a controversial election last Sunday. The new assembly has the power to rewrite the country’s constitution and dissolve state institutions.
The Constituent Assembly would likely not be welcomed with open arms.
Members of the opposition-led National Assembly said they will continue fulfilling their duties as usual.
“The National Assembly will continue doing their work in the Federal Legislative Palace as 14 million of Venezuelans ordered it on December 6, 2015,” the National Assembly tweeted.
As the new legislative body meets at 11 a.m. (local time) marches led by opposition groups — as well as supporters of the government — will also converge on the steps of the building.
Experts say Venezuela’s deep polarization could lead to two camps both claiming to be the legitimate government of the country — one with international support, the other with Venezuela’s military behind it.
In July, at least seven lawmakers were injured when Maduro’s supporters stormed the country’s legislative building and attacked opposition lawmakers.
Voter fraud claims
As the National Electoral Council announced that more than 8 million people — about 41.53% of registered voters — went to the polls on Sunday, allegations of voter fraud quickly emerged.
London-based Smartmatic, which has provided voting technology for Venezuela since 2004, said the turnout figures were manipulated.
Smartmatic’s CEO Antonio Mugica said the company has stood by all previous results but this time, they noticed a discrepancy of at least 1 million votes between the officially declared tally and what his company had recorded.
A full audit would be needed to confirm the exact numbers, he said.
Maduro disputed the claims blasting Mugica as Venezuela’s attorney general launched an investigation into potential voter fraud within hours.
In an interview Wednesday, Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz told CNN en Español two prosecutors are investigating four of five directors of the National Electoral Council “for this very scandalous act that could generate more violence in the country than what we have already experienced.”
Because of the ongoing investigation, Ortega’s office asked a court to suspend the Constituent Assembly’s inauguration on Thursday, the agency said on Twitter.
The fifth director, Luis E. Rondón, had previously said there were fewer audits than customarily required during the vote and no use of indelible ink to prevent multiple votes. Rondón is the sole director of the electoral council who isn’t a supporter of Maduro.
On Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States won’t recognize Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly because “the process was rigged from the start” and “the election lacked credible international observation.”
Opposition leaders detained
Key opposition leaders Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma, a former Caracas mayor, were detained early on Tuesday.
The politicians were taken by what appeared to be members of Venezuela’s intelligence service SEBIN from their homes at night, videos distributed by their families show.
They were under house arrests for prior convictions but that status was revoked, the Venezuelan Supreme Court said, because intelligence officials claimed they were planning to flee in the aftermath of Sunday’s controversial elections.
Lopez and Ledezma had been prohibited from carrying out political actions during their house arrests and that the latter had been forbidden from making declarations to any media, the Supreme Court said.