MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Venezuela’s Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) party gained a parliamentary majority for the first time in 17 years in the December 6, 2015 elections, gaining 112 of the 167 seats in the National Assembly.
On December 30, days before the swearing-in of new deputies, the country’s Supreme Court blocked four of the legislators from taking office, three from the opposition and one from President Nicolas Maduro’s United Socialist Party (PSUV), citing irregularities during elections.
On Wednesday, the three MUD opposition lawmakers — Nirma Guarulla, Julio Ygarza and Guzamana Rommel — were sworn in by Henry Ramos Allup, the new opposition speaker of the National Assembly. The Wednesday swearing in was a follow-up to the Tuesday National Assembly inauguration.
Ramos Allup has called for ensuring peace in Venezuela after the opposition won a "supermajority" in the National Assembly, stressing that the new parliament must work in the interest of all Venezuelans.
The opposition victory in Venezuela comes amid widespread public discontent with Maduro’s government.
A series of protests against high levels of violence, record inflation and shortages of basic goods took place across Venezuela between February and June of last year. The Venezuelan government deemed the protests to be coup attempts and arrested a number of opposition leaders.
