Venezuela: Vatican calls on Nicolas Maduro's government to suspend constitutional assembly

The Vatican has urged Venezuela’s president not to proceed with a controversial new assembly that his critics say would give him unprecedented power.

In a statement issued on the day Mr Maduro was set to install the new assembly - a vote for which last week was boycotted by the opposition parties and denounced as “rigged - the Vatican called on “all political actors, and in particular the government, to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the existing constitution”.

“The Holy See appeals firmly to all of society to avoid all forms of violence and invites, in particular, the security forces to refrain from excessive and disproportionate use of force,” it said.

The statement also it urged the government of Mr Maduro “to prevent or suspend ongoing initiatives such as the new Constituent Assembly which, instead of fostering reconciliation and peace, foment a climate of tension”.

Venezuela has been rocked by months of protests against the government of Mr Maduro, who was elected in 2013 following the death of Hugo Chavez, and there have been at least 125 deaths.

Many countries, among them the US, the UK, and Mexico, have denounced the move by Mr Maduro, claiming it is a move to seize additional power for his party at a time when his approval rating stands at just 20 per cent. The US has issued sanctions against Mr Maduro and 13 of his close advisors and threatened more.

On Friday, the 545-member assembly was formally opened. The assembly unanimously elected well-known Socialist Party leaders to its leadership, with former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez to serve as the president, and former Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz as First Vice President.

Mr Maduro and his supporters have dismissed criticism of the assembly as merely the latest in Washington’s attempts to interfere in Venezuela and other Latin American countries. Many experts believe the US has been seeking a change of government in Caracas since Mr Chavez was elected in 2002.

Last month, the Director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, suggested to participants of a security forum in Aspen, Colorado, that the agency was seeking a “transition” in Caracas and that it was working with regional allies, Colombia and Mexico, to make this happen.

Meanwhile, the people of Venezuela are struggling with food shortages, economic hardship and an inflation rate of around 600 per cent. If the US goes ahead with its threat to sanction the oil industry - Washington currently purchases 700,000 barrels a day from Venezuela - the situation would likely worsen considerably.

Many supporters of Mr Chavez appear to have lost faith in Mr Maduro, yet reports suggest some are still supporting him in fear of what might follow him.

The conservative opposition parties in Venezuela have long had ties to Washington, and some of their leaders were involved in a 2002 coup that briefly unseated Mr Chavez.

On Friday, it was also reported that Venezuelan intelligence agents have returned opposition leader Antonio Ledezma to his home, where he is serving house arrest, after taking him to prison early on Tuesday.

“Several minutes ago, Antonio was unexpectedly returned by the Sebin (intelligence agency) to our home,” his wife, Mitzy Capriles de Ledezma, said on Twitter.

“We thank the people of Venezuela and the international community for their concern and solidarity.”