Venezuela Lurches Toward Dictatorship as Top Court Seizes Power
- High Court declared opposition-led Congress to be illegal
- Court will execute powers while congress remains in contempt
QuickTake: Nicolas Maduro’s Power Struggle
This article is for subscribers only.
Venezuela slid closer toward dictatorship after the country’s Supreme Court gutted the only opposition-run institution -- the Congress -- seizing its powers and declaring the elected body invalid.
The court’s ruling late on Wednesday night was, in the words of lawmakers, nothing short of a coup. Several opposition leaders called for street demonstrations and other forms of “democratic resistance.”