Protesters, troops clash ahead of Sunday vote
by yalibnan
July 29, 2017
854
Dozens of people have died in Venezuela in more than two months of protests against President Nicolas Maduro (AFP Photo/Ronaldo SCHEMIDT)
Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro are calling for continued protests ahead of Sunday’s controversial election, a day after demonstrators clashed with national guard troops in the capital in defiance of a protest ban.
Opposition leaders have vowed unrest before the election of a “constituent national assembly” that would rewrite the constitution at Maduro’s request — a move that the leftist leader’s critics say could consolidate his power and lead to a dictatorship.
Maduro’s regime has forbidden protests through Tuesday, saying violators will face prison terms of five to 10 years. It says it has dispatched more than 370,000 troops across the country to secure Sunday’s vote.
CNN