A new assembly packed with allies of unpopular President Nicolas Maduro and with sweeping powers was to begin work on Saturday, deepening divisions in a crisis-wracked Venezuela.

The Constituent Assembly, headed by a former foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, is tasked with rewriting the 1999 constitution into a charter Maduro has promised will end the turmoil rocking his impoverished yet oil-rich nation.

On Friday, the body took over an ornate chamber under a golden dome in the Legislative Palace in Caracas -- at the far end of a building shared with the opposition-run legislature, the National Assembly.

Elected a week ago amid bloody protests and international objections, the Constituent Assembly has powers to override every branch of government, and can dissolve the legislature.

Its detractors say the 545 loyalist members -- among them the president&#39;s wife and son -- amount to a rubber-stamp entity extending Maduro&#39;s &quot;dictator&quot;-like grip on power.&nbsp;

International condemnation&nbsp;

The United States, the European Union, the Vatican and major Latin American nations including Mexico, Argentina and Chile have all condemned the new body, saying it undermines democracy and stokes tensions in Venezuela.

Mercosur, a South American trading bloc, was meeting on Saturday in Brazil to decide whether Venezuelan should be suspended from it for &quot;breaching democratic order.&quot;

The legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly has been thrown into question by claims of fraud, most notably by a British-based firm, Smartmartic, which was involved in supplying the technology for the July 30 vote.

Smartmatic said the official turnout figure had been &quot;tampered with&quot; and exaggerated by at least one million voters.

The opposition has vowed to maintain street protests against the assembly, despite being increasingly sidelined and despondent.

Maduro&#39;s security forces have stepped up pressure on dissenters. The Vatican has urged them to show restraint after a death toll from four months of unrest of 125.

A prominent opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, was thrown back in military prison after the intelligence service roughly ended a brief spell of house arrest granted last month.

Another leader, Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, was released back into home detention on Friday after being hauled away the same day as Lopez.

&#39;Interference&#39; rejected&nbsp;

Maduro has rejected the criticism lobbed at him, saying the revised constitution issued by the Constituent Assembly would be put to a referendum.

He also accused the United States of &quot;imperialism&quot; after it hit him with direct sanctions and threatened to do the same with all of the assembly&#39;s members.

And he lashed out at fellow Latin American leaders for being vassals of America.

Rodriguez on Friday said: &quot;The international community should not make a mistake over Venezuela. The message is clear, very clear: we Venezuelans will resolve our conflict, our crisis without any form of foreign interference.&quot;

That conflict runs deep however, and Maduro counts on no more than 20 percent public support, according to surveys by the Datanalisis polling firm.

His authority relies on backing from the military and judicial and electoral authorities.

Their actions in past months against those raising their voices against Maduro prompted the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Friday to order Venezuela to protect Venezuela&#39;s attorney general, Luisa Ortega.

The commission said it believed Ortega&#39;s life was at risk after breaking with Maduro months ago and launching an investigation into the legality of the Constituent Assembly.

There are also concerns Venezuela&#39;s dire economic straits -- seen in lines for scarce food and essentials, and desperate searches for rare medicine -- could soon get even worse.

The currency, the bolivar, lost around a third of its value this week, accelerating a long slide. Inflation forecasts for this year are soaring above 700 percent. And the country has dwindling reserves with which to pay its debt, big bills of which come due in October and November.

Maduro has dismissed the problems as part of an &quot;economic war&quot; waged against him by the opposition in collaboration with the United States.

His main sources of support from abroad are Cuba, whose socialist model he admires, and Russia, which holds billions in Venezuelan debt.

The opposition has vowed to maintain street protests against the assembly, despite being increasingly sidelined and despondent

A new assembly packed with allies of unpopular President Nicolas Maduro and with sweeping powers was to begin work on Saturday, deepening divisions in a crisis-wracked Venezuela. The Constituent Assembly, headed by a former foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, is tasked with rewriting the 1999 constitution into a charter Maduro has promised will end the turmoil rocking his impoverished yet oil-rich nation. On Friday, the body took over an ornate chamber under a golden dome in the Legislative Palace in Caracas -- at the far end of a building shared with the opposition-run legislature, the National Assembly. Elected a week ago amid bloody protests and international objections, the Constituent Assembly has powers to override every branch of government, and can dissolve the legislature. Its detractors say the 545 loyalist members -- among them the president's wife and son -- amount to a rubber-stamp entity extending Maduro's "dictator"-like grip on power. International condemnation The United States, the European Union, the Vatican and major Latin American nations including Mexico, Argentina and Chile have all condemned the new body, saying it undermines democracy and stokes tensions in Venezuela. Mercosur, a South American trading bloc, was meeting on Saturday in Brazil to decide whether Venezuelan should be suspended from it for "breaching democratic order." The legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly has been thrown into question by claims of fraud, most notably by a British-based firm, Smartmartic, which was involved in supplying the technology for the July 30 vote. Smartmatic said the official turnout figure had been "tampered with" and exaggerated by at least one million voters. The opposition has vowed to maintain street protests against the assembly, despite being increasingly sidelined and despondent. Maduro's security forces have stepped up pressure on dissenters. The Vatican has urged them to show restraint after a death toll from four months of unrest of 125. A prominent opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, was thrown back in military prison after the intelligence service roughly ended a brief spell of house arrest granted last month. Another leader, Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, was released back into home detention on Friday after being hauled away the same day as Lopez. 'Interference' rejected Maduro has rejected the criticism lobbed at him, saying the revised constitution issued by the Constituent Assembly would be put to a referendum. He also accused the United States of "imperialism" after it hit him with direct sanctions and threatened to do the same with all of the assembly's members. And he lashed out at fellow Latin American leaders for being vassals of America. Rodriguez on Friday said: "The international community should not make a mistake over Venezuela. The message is clear, very clear: we Venezuelans will resolve our conflict, our crisis without any form of foreign interference." That conflict runs deep however, and Maduro counts on no more than 20 percent public support, according to surveys by the Datanalisis polling firm. His authority relies on backing from the military and judicial and electoral authorities. Their actions in past months against those raising their voices against Maduro prompted the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Friday to order Venezuela to protect Venezuela's attorney general, Luisa Ortega. The commission said it believed Ortega's life was at risk after breaking with Maduro months ago and launching an investigation into the legality of the Constituent Assembly. There are also concerns Venezuela's dire economic straits -- seen in lines for scarce food and essentials, and desperate searches for rare medicine -- could soon get even worse. The currency, the bolivar, lost around a third of its value this week, accelerating a long slide. Inflation forecasts for this year are soaring above 700 percent. And the country has dwindling reserves with which to pay its debt, big bills of which come due in October and November. Maduro has dismissed the problems as part of an "economic war" waged against him by the opposition in collaboration with the United States. His main sources of support from abroad are Cuba, whose socialist model he admires, and Russia, which holds billions in Venezuelan debt.

New constituent assembly dividing Venezuela begins work

Venezuela&#39;s contested new assembly fired the country&#39;s dissident attorney general, Luisa Ortega, Saturday in a move sure to provoke greater international criticism.

The body, which made the sacking its first order of business, also said it planned to operate as Venezuela&#39;s supreme power for up to two years.

Venezuela&#39;s dissident attorney general said Saturday her offices were &quot;under siege&quot; by troops, as a new loyalist assembly was about to start work to bolster the policies of President Nicolas Maduro and counter his foes.

National guard units were posted at the entries and exits to the prosecutors&#39; building in central Caracas.

Attorney General Luisa Ortega, who broke ranks with Maduro months ago and has since been a thorn in his side, said on Twitter: &quot;I denounce this arbitrariness to the national and international community.&quot;

She did not say where she was on Saturday.

&quot;An aggression against her is an aggression against Venezuelan democracy,&quot; the head of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, tweeted.

On Friday, the OAS&#39; Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ordered Venezuela to protect Ortega, saying her life was at risk after she launched an investigation into the legality of the new, all-powerful Constituent Assembly.

Venezuela&#39;s government perceives the commission to be under US influence and brushes off its pronouncements.&nbsp;

Maduro&#39;s former foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, who now heads the assembly beginning operation on Saturday, has vowed to immediately go after those deemed to be obstructing government policies.

And Maduro said ominously on Friday that &quot;if we had an attorney general here that acted... all these violent protesters would already be in jail.&quot;

International isolation 
 
The United States, the European Union, the Vatican and major Latin American nations including Mexico, Argentina and Chile have all rejected the assembly.

The opposition, which controls the legislature now effectively sidelined, has said the body is a step towards a Maduro &quot;dictatorship.&quot;

The Constituent Assembly was elected a week ago in polls marred by violence and allegations of fraud.

A British-based firm that supplied the voting technology, Smartmatic, said the turnout figure was &quot;tampered with&quot; and greatly exaggerated.

Subsequent US sanctions directly targeting Maduro and more were threatened against the assembly&#39;s 545 members.

On Saturday, a South American trading bloc, Mercosur, was meeting in Brazil to decide whether to suspend Venezuela from the organization.

Maduro has responded by lashing out at US &quot;imperialism&quot; and calling the heads of other Latin American states vassals to Washington.

Rodriguez said on Friday: &quot;The international community should not make a mistake over Venezuela. The message is clear, very clear: we Venezuelans will resolve our conflict, our crisis without any form of foreign interference.&quot;

Dire economy 
 
The principal task of the Constituent Assembly is to rewrite the constitution. But while working on that, it enjoys supreme powers over all other branches of government.

On Friday, the body took over an ornate chamber under a golden dome in the Legislative Palace in Caracas -- at the far end of a building shared with the opposition-run legislature, the National Assembly.

All its members are Maduro allies, and their number includes the president&#39;s wife and son.

The opposition has vowed to maintain street protests against the assembly, but the risk has grown that the new body could take sterner measures against demonstrators.

The Vatican has already urged Venezuela&#39;s security forces to show restraint after a death toll of 125 from four months of unrest.

The new assembly is a pillar for Maduro to maintain authority. He has no more than 20 percent public support, according to surveys by the Datanalisis polling firm, and increasingly relies on backing from the military and judicial and electoral authorities.

Although the president has vowed that the assembly would solve Venezuela&#39;s crippling economic and political crisis, there was scepticism on the streets.

Food, essentials and medicine are scarce, the decline of the currency is accelerating, inflation is in triple digits, reserves to pay sovereign debt are dwindling, and thousands of Venezuelans are leaving to seek survival in neighbouring countries.

Maduro has dismissed the problems as part of an &quot;economic war&quot; waged against him by the opposition in collaboration with the United States.

His main sources of support from abroad are Cuba, whose socialist model he admires, and Russia, which holds billions in Venezuelan debt. 
&nbsp;

Venezuela's dissident attorney general said her offices were 'under siege' by troops, as a new loyalist assembly was about to start work to bolster the policies of President Maduro

Venezuela's contested new assembly fired the country's dissident attorney general, Luisa Ortega, Saturday in a move sure to provoke greater international criticism. The body, which made the sacking its first order of business, also said it planned to operate as Venezuela's supreme power for up to two years. Venezuela's dissident attorney general said Saturday her offices were "under siege" by troops, as a new loyalist assembly was about to start work to bolster the policies of President Nicolas Maduro and counter his foes. National guard units were posted at the entries and exits to the prosecutors' building in central Caracas. Attorney General Luisa Ortega, who broke ranks with Maduro months ago and has since been a thorn in his side, said on Twitter: "I denounce this arbitrariness to the national and international community." She did not say where she was on Saturday. "An aggression against her is an aggression against Venezuelan democracy," the head of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, tweeted. On Friday, the OAS' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ordered Venezuela to protect Ortega, saying her life was at risk after she launched an investigation into the legality of the new, all-powerful Constituent Assembly. Venezuela's government perceives the commission to be under US influence and brushes off its pronouncements. Maduro's former foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, who now heads the assembly beginning operation on Saturday, has vowed to immediately go after those deemed to be obstructing government policies. And Maduro said ominously on Friday that "if we had an attorney general here that acted... all these violent protesters would already be in jail." International isolation The United States, the European Union, the Vatican and major Latin American nations including Mexico, Argentina and Chile have all rejected the assembly. The opposition, which controls the legislature now effectively sidelined, has said the body is a step towards a Maduro "dictatorship." The Constituent Assembly was elected a week ago in polls marred by violence and allegations of fraud. A British-based firm that supplied the voting technology, Smartmatic, said the turnout figure was "tampered with" and greatly exaggerated. Subsequent US sanctions directly targeting Maduro and more were threatened against the assembly's 545 members. On Saturday, a South American trading bloc, Mercosur, was meeting in Brazil to decide whether to suspend Venezuela from the organization. Maduro has responded by lashing out at US "imperialism" and calling the heads of other Latin American states vassals to Washington. Rodriguez said on Friday: "The international community should not make a mistake over Venezuela. The message is clear, very clear: we Venezuelans will resolve our conflict, our crisis without any form of foreign interference." Dire economy The principal task of the Constituent Assembly is to rewrite the constitution. But while working on that, it enjoys supreme powers over all other branches of government. On Friday, the body took over an ornate chamber under a golden dome in the Legislative Palace in Caracas -- at the far end of a building shared with the opposition-run legislature, the National Assembly. All its members are Maduro allies, and their number includes the president's wife and son. The opposition has vowed to maintain street protests against the assembly, but the risk has grown that the new body could take sterner measures against demonstrators. The Vatican has already urged Venezuela's security forces to show restraint after a death toll of 125 from four months of unrest. The new assembly is a pillar for Maduro to maintain authority. He has no more than 20 percent public support, according to surveys by the Datanalisis polling firm, and increasingly relies on backing from the military and judicial and electoral authorities. Although the president has vowed that the assembly would solve Venezuela's crippling economic and political crisis, there was scepticism on the streets. Food, essentials and medicine are scarce, the decline of the currency is accelerating, inflation is in triple digits, reserves to pay sovereign debt are dwindling, and thousands of Venezuelans are leaving to seek survival in neighbouring countries. Maduro has dismissed the problems as part of an "economic war" waged against him by the opposition in collaboration with the United States. His main sources of support from abroad are Cuba, whose socialist model he admires, and Russia, which holds billions in Venezuelan debt.

New Venezuela assembly fires dissident attorney general, troops siege office

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New constituent assembly dividing Venezuela begins work

New Venezuela assembly fires dissident attorney general, troops siege office