Venezuela confirms call for assembly to modify constitution

Venezuela on Wednesday formalized its call for a National Constituent Assembly to modify the country's Constitution.

The government's official gazette formalized the initiative by President Nicolas Maduro, who views modifying the Constitution as a way to solve the country's political crisis.

The text signed by Maduro says the Assembly's role would be to "guarantee the preservation of peace in the country" faced with "severe internal and external threats by anti-democratic factors."

The Assembly will focus on new political areas which the president has named as priorities, including a national dialogue to secure peace and the improvement of the "post-oil" economic system.

Venezuela has long been reliant on oil sales for its revenue, as it possesses one of the largest petroleum reserves in the world, but suffered bitterly in recent years as oin prices dropped sharply.

Other topics on the agenda will include putting the government's social programs into the Constitution, improving justice system, protecting cultural identity and the rights of young people, as well as defending national sovereignty and fighting climate change.

According to the gazette, the Assembly will be made up of around 500 people who will draft the new Constitution. These will be elected by direct ballot in constituencies across the country, as well as by important productive and social sectors.

The procedure will be supervised by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which is responsible for explaining the mechanism to the representatives from various sectors.

The call for a new Constitution has met with outrage from the Venezuelan opposition parties. Endit