Four newly elected opposition governors on Monday reluctantly pledged allegiance to Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly, which until now they had dismissed as illegitimate.
The assembly was elected July 30 in polls called by unpopular Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that were boycotted by the opposition.
The Constituent Assembly, packed with government supporters, replaced the opposition-dominated National Assembly.
Its stated mandate is to overhaul the nation’s constitution, but it has been handed sweeping powers to override all other branches of government.
Critics have called this a bid by Maduro to perpetuate himself in power amid an acute economic crisis as the opposition tries to force him out through early elections. Dozens of countries have said they do not consider the new assembly legitimate.
Maduro praised the oath as recognition of the “plenipotentiary powers” of the body, which has ruled with absolute power since August.
“They are governors that the people elected,” he said during a meeting with officials broadcast on radio and television.
Despite the economic crisis, Maduro’s party did well in gubernatorial elections held on Oct. 15, winning in 18 states and losing in just five.
Of those five, four of the opposition winners took the oath of office on Monday pledging respect for the new assembly, the legislature said on Twitter, with a photograph of them posing with its speaker, Delcy Rodriguez.
The fifth opposition winner refused to join them and said he regretted his colleagues’ decision, calling the assembly “fraudulent.”
One of the four, Laidy Gomez, likened it to humbly swallowing bitter medicine with the longer-term goal of healing.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
RELAXED: After talks on Ukraine and trade, the French president met with students while his wife visited pandas, after the pair parted ways with their Chinese counterparts French President Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China yesterday in Chengdu, striking a more relaxed note after tough discussions on Ukraine and trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) a day earlier. Far from the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the two leaders held talks, Xi and China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), showed Macron and his wife Brigitte around the centuries-old Dujiangyan Dam, a World Heritage Site set against the mountainous landscape of Sichuan Province. Macron was told through an interpreter about the ancient irrigation system, which dates back to the third century
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