Constituent Assembly Ousts Outspoken Attorney General As Venezuela’s Democratic Facade Is Shattered

In one of its first acts as a legislative body, Venezuela’s controversial new National Constituent Assembly unanimously voted to remove attorney general Luisa Ortega, supporter-turned-critic of the Maduro-led regime. The dismissal can hardly be viewed as a surprise, but coming on the first day of the assembly’s meeting it is an indication that the government is prepared to take aggressive measures to silence its critics in its fight to hold onto power. Venezuela’s democratic facade, increasingly untenable since the 2014 oil bust undermined the government’s ability to buy off support, has been well and truly shattered.

Maduro decreed elections to a new Constituent Assembly in May following the constitutional crisis of late March, when the later-reversed Supreme Court decision to take over the legislative powers of the opposition-controlled National Assembly sparked widespread protests against what was seen as a move to undermine democracy in Venezuela. Maduro declared his aim was to ‘restore peace,’ but with the assembly’s power to rewrite the 1999 Constitution and thus to indefinitely delay elections and give him sweeping authority, this claim is as farcical as the assembly’s legitimacy.

The elections were boycotted by the opposition and in an unofficial poll, 7 million Venezuelans voted against it. No surprise then that e-voting company Smartmatic declared that turnout figures of 8 million (41.3%) were “without any doubt” manipulated. The figure of 125 killed in anti-government protests is still rising. As Ortega herself described it, the assembly is “a mockery of the people.”

Maduro has received international condemnation for his decision to go through with elections to the assembly, with 21 countries rejecting its formation. However, thus far two and a half years of efforts to persuade the Maduro government to respect human rights has been unsuccessful even in achieving the most basic of aims such as the release of political prisoners; it’s not clear that the most recent responses are any more likely to evoke change. Indeed, Maduro responded to the individual sanctions the Trump administration slapped on him on Monday with derision, chiding the President for losing the popular vote and declaring “I don’t take orders from the empire.”

His response lends further credibility to the view that while the unilateral sanctions on Venezuela under consideration by the Trump administration have the power to cripple its economy, they are likely to do more harm than good, merely lending credibility to Maduro’s claim that the US is waging an imperialist economic war and deepening the nascent humanitarian crisis. Child malnourishment already stands at 11.4%, over a percentage point higher than the WHO’s 10% crisis threshold, and Venezuelan officials appear indifferent to people’s suffering as long as they can retain power. Many are under great personal threat should they lose state immunity as they face heavy charges for human rights abuses and drug trafficking.

What is necessary is a united response from the big regional players with the United States taking a supporting role to pressure Maduro’s government into complying with its stated aims of improving the human rights situation. A strict timeline should be set for actions such as the beginning of talks with the opposition and this backed up with real consequences for noncompliance and rewards for compliance. We may be seeing something like this happening as Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay announced the indefinite suspension of Venezuela from Mercosur on August 5 for ‘breaking with the democratic order,’ demanding the release of political prisoners, and political transition. However, the suspension will have little practical effect, with no sanctions or migration changes. While the group are rightly wary of worsening the humanitarian crisis they need to ensure that this action goes beyond mere rhetoric and a slap on the wrist if their aims are to be achieved.

Related