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Legislators abandon National Assembly in Venezuela after damning court ruling

Xinhua, January 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Venezuela's controversial National Assembly (AN) was forced to cancel its planned legislative session on Tuesday after a majority of legislators failed to show up.

The decision by many parliamentarians from the ruling Great Patriotic Pole (GPP) and the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) was prompted by a ruling made by Venezuela's top court on Monday that all actions taken by the AN were illegal.

The Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) issued this ruling after the MUD majority in the assembly swore in three of its legislators all representing the southern state of Amazonas, though the TSJ forbid them to do so due to alleged electoral fraud by the three deputies.

In its ruling, the TSJ stated that "all decisions taken by the AN will be void, while these lawmakers are incorporated."

In mid-morning, MUD leader and AN president Henry Ramos Allup called on the assembly to convene again on Wednesday.

He said the AN would provide an official response to the TSJ ruling on Wednesday, and will also press ahead with an amnesty law, which would set free opposition figures jailed by the current government.

Cilia Flores, the wife of President Nicolas Maduro, told Telesur on Tuesday that the opposition is "divided...with some choosing to abide by the ruling and others seeking to defy it."

Diosdado Cabello, deputy leader of the Socialist Party, backed up the court's decision made on Monday, saying the MUD must "revoke the swearing-in of these lawmakers."

Also on Tuesday, GPP lawmaker Hector Rodriguez said he had new evidence to present concerning the alleged electoral crimes committed by the MUD lawmakers.

Rodriguez presented a new audio recording in which Liborio Guarulla, the governor of Amazonas, was allegedly heard discussing the rigging of voting machines in the state. He also provided video footage in which Amazonas voters seem to admit being paid to vote for the MUD candidates.

In a previous video, a government worker, Victoria Franchi, was seen discussing vote-buying in the state.

Maduro is due to appear before the AN on Friday to present his annual executive report. Endi