Venezuela to shut all-powerful National Constituent Assembly

Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly, a pro-government legislature created in 2017 that was widely criticised for undermining democracy, will cease operations by the end of the year.

President Nicolas Maduro said the assembly, known as the ANC, is no longer necessary following December 6 elections that will usher in a new parliament dominated by ruling Socialist Party legislators.

Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly, a pro-government legislature created in 2017 that was widely criticised for undermining democracy, will cease operations by the end of the year.

President Nicolas Maduro said the assembly, known as the ANC, is no longer necessary following December 6 elections that will usher in a new parliament dominated by ruling Socialist Party legislators.

The opposition boycotted the election that created the ANC. The United States and Europe called it the consolidation of a dictatorship and a disavowal of the democratically elected legislature.

Despite being in existence for three years, the ANC did not reform the constitution.

Instead, it legislated a raft of measures including an anti-hate law widely used to jail government critics, stripped a group of opposition legislators of parliamentary immunity and sacked former Chief Prosecutor Luisa Ortega, who had fallen out with Maduro.