Venezuelan opposition leaders call for 24-hour nationwide strike

Venezuelan opposition leaders call for 24-hour nationwide strike
Opposition leaders are calling for a nationwide strike after 7,186,170
Venezuelans participated in a symbolic referendum rejecting President
Nicolas Maduro's plans to rewrite the constitution.
By Michael Weissenstein
Fabiola SanchezThe Associated Press
Mon., July 17, 2017

CARACAS, VENEZUELA—Venezuela's opposition called Monday for a 24-hour
nationwide strike to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to drop plans to
rewrite the constitution while the United States threatened "strong and
swift economic actions" against his socialist administration if it
ignores the will of voters in a referendum.

U.S. President Donald Trumpjoined other world leaders in urging Maduro
to heed Sunday's symbolic plebiscite in which millions of voters
rejected the plan to remake Venezuela's political system, which the
opposition calls a power grab by the ruling party as it struggles with
shortages, inflation and more than 100 days of anti-government protests.

The vote came two weeks before Venezuela's government will hold an
election to select a constituent assembly charged with rewriting the
constitution. Canada, Mexico, Brazil and the European Union have also
come out against the effort.

"The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles," Trump said
in a strongly worded statement, adding that in that country "courageous
actions continue to be ignored by a bad leader who dreams of becoming a
dictator."

Despite the global and domestic calls for him to cancel the constituent
assembly, Maduro vowed to press ahead with it.

"I won't be intimidated," Venezuela's president said in a speech at the
presidential palace. Maduro's allies have called on the assembly to
impose executive branch authority over the few remaining institutions
outside the control of the ruling party.
Julio Borges, centre, leader of the opposition-controlled parliament,
speaks following an opposition-organized vote to measure public support
for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's plan to rewrite the
constitution, in Caracas, Venezuela on Monday.

On Monday, opposition leaders laid out their plans about how they will
resist Maduro in the wake of the referendum."

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/07/17/venezuela-opposition-says-over-7-million-voted-rejected-president-maduros-plans.html