International News

CARACAS, (APP/AFP) – Protests were to take
place across Venezuela on Wednesday against President Nicolas Maduro in the first challenge to sweeping powers he has decreed for police and soldiers under a state of emergency.
The opposition-led marches in Caracas and other cities were to demand
that authorities validate a recall referendum seeking Maduro’s ouster.
But the 53-year-old president has dismissed the push against him.
On Tuesday he said the referendum was “not viable” and a petition it
was based on with 1.8 million signatures was riddled with “fraud.”
The 60-day state of emergency was imposed from Monday to tackle what
Maduro said were threats to security, as well as food and energy shortages.
Many of the measures rely on Venezuela’s army and police being
deployed to carry them out.
It notably suspends many constitutional protections by opening the
way to expropriations and almost any action deemed necessary to maintain public order.
Individuals, companies and non-governmental organizations in
Venezuela with links to foreign groups are also to be put under scrutiny and risk having their finances frozen, according to the decree.