Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly Boots Maduro Critic
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CARACAS, Venezuela (CBSMiami) -- Venezuela's new national constituent assembly voted Saturday to permanently remove Luisa Ortega Diaz from her post as the country's attorney general.
This was met by roaring applause at what is officially the first session of this assembly, broadcast live on the state-run TV channel.
Ortega Diaz previously had been a staunch supporter of the country's former President Hugo Chavez and was a pro-regime figure, but in more recent times, she became critical of the current Nicolas Maduro government.
Now outed from her position, she has lost immunity and could be tried or arrested.
The national constituent assembly also declared that Ortega Diaz cannot leave the country and that her assets have been frozen.
"This is a dictatorship," she said on camera outside the AG office. "The abuse that is being experienced in Venezuela, the repression, not only are they arbitrarily detaining people, they are prosecuting them with military justice."
The constitutional assembly elections were held in Venezuela on July 30th, under Maduro's decree, to retool Venezuela's 1999 constitution.
Opponents say the assembly is packed with Maduro supporters and allows him to eliminate the few remaining checks on his power, creating a Cuba-style system dominated by his socialist party.