MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Venezuela said in a ruling that it would assume the parliamentary powers of the National Assembly, which is currently controlled by the opposition majority.
"I am activating Article 323 of the constitution, and have already summoned the Security Council to process and resolve any differences that may exist between constituted powers," Maduro said on Friday, as quoted by Telesur TV. "There is a controversy and it must be resolved through dialogue, not with extreme positions or by giving arguments to those who want to intervene [in] Venezuela."
The Wednesday decision of Venezuela's Supreme Court has already been criticized by several countries in the Americas. In particular, Colombia, Chile and Mexico expressed their concern over the court's decision, while Peru recalled its ambassador from Venezuela.
The Mercosur regional trade bloc scheduled an emergency meeting for Saturday, April 1, to address the crisis situation in Venezuela.