Venezuelan Opposition Asks Military to Ensure Respect for Peoples' Mandate Latin American Herald Tribune January 1, 2016
CARACAS - The Venezuelan opposition appealed to the army Thursday to ensure that results of the Dec. 6 legislative elections are respected, after reasserting its refusal to submit to a Supreme Court decision ordering the "preventive and immediate" suspension of three of its 112 elected representatives.
Justice First, or PJ, the party of former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, urged the country's armed forces to neutralize government-sympathizer groups, who are looking to take control of the unicameral National Assembly and block the formation of the new Parliament, "in open rebellion" against the electoral outcome.
The military should defend the electoral results as it represents "a clear and legal order that the branches of public power, the citizens and the Armed Forces must respect and defend," said PJ leader Julio Borges.
The opposition coalition Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, an alliance of parties opposed to the government led by President Nicolas Maduro, has charged the Supreme Court of bias towards the ruling party, and expressed defiance against its ruling that suspends its three representatives.
Four other appeals challenging the election results are also pending with the court.
Branding the appeals as ridiculous, MUD confirmed its 112 elected representatives, accounting for two-thirds of the parliament, will assume office on Jan. 5 as scheduled, alongside the 55 Chavista lawmakers.
Meanwhile, jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, in a message through his wife Lilian Tintori, said Maduro and his corrupt, undemocratic elite would have to be done away with, especially if they did not make way for change by recognizing the election results.
In an interview last week, Lopez disclosed opposition leaders had agreed to look for a constitutional way to bring about an early end to Maduro's government.
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