Venezuela's Supreme Court has dissolved the opposition-controlled National Assembly and taken over its powers, bringing the country a step further towards one-man rule under President Nicolas Maduro.
"The ruling effectively means the three branches of the Venezuelan government will be controlled by the ruling United Socialist Party," says CNN. "The opposition has been taken out of the picture."
Opposition politicians said it was a step towards dictatorship.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Julio Borges, president of the national assembly, said: "Nicolas Maduro has staged a coup d'etat. It's one thing to try and build a dictatorship and another to complete the circuit."
He added that "for the first time" Maduro "has all the power to enact laws, assign contracts, incur foreign debt and persecute fellow Venezuelans".
In response, Peru has recalled its ambassador to Caracas, saying it will increase efforts to have Venezuela removed from the Organisation of American States for what it called a "flagrant breach of democratic order".
The US also condemned what it described as a move to "usurp the powers" of the national assembly.
"This rupture of democratic and constitutional norms greatly damages Venezuela’s democratic institutions and denies the Venezuelan people the right to shape their country’s future through their elected representatives. We consider it a serious setback for democracy in Venezuela," said the US State Department.
The move "caps a year in which the last vestiges of Venezuela's democracy have been torn down… leaving what many now describe as not just an authoritarian regime, but an outright dictatorship", the New York Times says.
Maduro lost control of congress in December 2015, after voters "angry about soaring inflation, rising poverty and shortages of medicines and basic commodities" turned on his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, says The Guardian.
Since then, adds the paper, relations between the administration and the legislature "have been stuck between tension and conflict".
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky missionTalking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogsThe Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Crossword: August 31, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
