Venezuelan MPs reject Supreme Court budget decision

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. (AA) – Venezuelan opposition leaders on Wednesday decried as unconstitutional a decision by the Supreme Court (TSJ) that allows President Nicolas Maduro to present a national budget in the court instead of the parliament.

“The TSJ has already assumed, in fact, functions of the parliament violating the Constitution for the president to continue ruling badly," President of the National Assembly Henry Ramos told local media.

The TSJ, Venezuela’s highest court, announced its to overcome a technicality for the 2017 budget to go through.

The court declared the National Assembly in contempt of court in January when members of parliament swore in three ineligible lawmakers. The ruling prevents the assembly from carrying out its functions under the law.

The latest decision by the TSJ came after Maduro asked the court’s president, Gladys Gutierrez, for a solution to keep the government operational.

Maduro is expected to present the budget Friday. The move means the nation's budget will be approved by a decree rather than by a legislative process.

Former presidential candidate Henry Capriles said the decision aggravates Venezuela’s dire economic situation and asked for the international community’s help to monitor the crisis.

Jesus Torrealba of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) also criticized the decision, saying judicial authorities have no technical competence to discuss the legislation.

Ramos announced Wednesday that due to a “worsening” of the constitutional and democratic situation in Venezuela, he would ask the Organization of American States (OAS) to implement measures outlined in the Democratic Charter of the regional bloc.

A parliamentary committee will travel to Washington next month, Ramos said.

Cash-strapped Venezuela is a global player in crude oil as a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), but its output has slipped approximately 15 percent year on year.

The lowering of oil prices by almost half since 2014 has had a deep impact on the country's economy as the majority of Venezuela’s foreign currency earnings are derived from the oil industry.