2017 Constituent National Assembly of Venezuela
The Constituent National Assembly (Spanish: Asamblea Nacional Constituyente; ANC) was a constituent assembly elected in 2017 to draft a new constitution for Venezuela. Its members were elected in a special 2017 election that was condemned by over forty mostly Latin American and Western states. The Democratic Unity Roundtable—the opposition to the incumbent ruling party—also boycotted the election claiming that the Constituent Assembly was "a trick to keep [the incumbent ruling party] in power." Since the opposition did not participate in the election, the incumbent Great Patriotic Pole, dominated by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, won almost all seats in the assembly by default.
Constituent National Assembly Asamblea Nacional Constituyente | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Houses | Constituent assembly |
| History | |
| Founded | 4 August 2017 |
| Disbanded | 31 December 2020 |
| Preceded by | 1999 Constituent Assembly |
| Leadership | |
President | |
First Vice President | Tania Díaz, PSUV since 5 January 2018 |
Second Vice President | |
Secretary | Fidel Vásquez, PSUV since 4 August 2017 |
Undersecretary | Carolys Pérez, PSUV since 4 August 2017 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 545 |
Political groups | Great Patriotic Pole (503) Vacancies (42) |
Length of term | 2 years, extendable (expires 31 December 2020) |
| Elections | |
| List and nominal vote by municipal and sectoral | |
Last election | 30 July 2017 |
| Motto | |
| Power of the People (Poder del Pueblo) Constituent of the Sovereign People (Constituyente del Pueblo Soberano) | |
| Meeting place | |
| Palacio Federal Legislativo, Caracas | |
After the assembly was elected, the body convened for the first time on 4 August 2017, despite criticism from the aforementioned parties and from the regional trade bloc Mercosur. As part of it first acts, the assembly elected former Foreign Minister and Minister of Communication Delcy Rodríguez as its president, though she was appointed Vice President of Venezuela on 14 June 2018, and was succeeded by former Vice President Diosdado Cabello.
On 8 August 2017, the Constituent Assembly declared itself to be the government branch with supreme power in Venezuela, banning the opposition-led National Assembly from performing actions that would interfere with the assembly while continuing to pass measures in "support and solidarity" with President Maduro. On 18 August 2017, the Constituent Assembly gave itself the power to pass legislation and override the National Assembly on issues concerning "preservation of peace, security, sovereignty, the socio-economic and financial system" and then stripped the National Assembly of its legislative powers the following day. The opposition-led National Assembly responded, stating it would not recognize the Constituent Assembly.
As of May 2019, the Constituent Assembly mandate was expected to expire on 31 December 2020. On 15 December 2020, President of the Assembly Diosdado Cabello set a dissolution date for three days later on 18 December, arguing that the assembly had met all of its objectives except for that of creating a new Constitution. On 18 December 2020, Maduro declared that the Constituent Assembly would close at the end of the year.