Venezuela's Opposition Starts Campaign to Remove Maduro From Power

Venezuela's opposition has announced the start of it campaign to dismiss President Nicolas Maduro from office, local media reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "We call on all the people of Venezuela to achieve the resignation of Maduro as President of the Republic," the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) opposition umbrella group's Secretary-General Jesus Torrealba said, as quoted by the El Nacional newspaper.

Torrealba presented the MUD roadmap for removing Maduro, reducing the country's presidential term via a constitutional amendment and holding early elections during a press conference on Tuesday.

According to Article 230 of Venezuela' constitution, the President of the Republic is elected for a six-year term, and may be re-elected only once. In February, Speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela Henry Ramos Allup said that the opposition-dominated Venezuelan parliament could accelerate the launch of Maduro's resignation procedure by late April, seeking to pass constitutional amendments and hold a popular referendum.

The new roadmap will be activated on Saturday, Torrealba said, adding that pro-MUD rallies are planned to be held across the country, according to the newspaper. The opposition leader also vowed to remove the pro-government President of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello, as well as urging Venezuelans to sign a petition in support of the proposed reforms.

Parties opposing Venezuela's Bolivarian government 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. The opposition victory came amid widespread public discontent with Maduro’s government and the grave economic problems in the country.

In early February, Maduro vowed to resist opposition attempts at removing him from power.