Venezuela court drops moves to tighten president’s grip

CARCAS: Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday abandoned measures to seize power from the opposition-controlled legislature after the moves drew international condemnation and raised pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.

In a rare climb-down by the president’s allies, the pro-Maduro court retreated from the rulings that had sparked opposition calls for mass protest marches in a volatile country stricken by an economic and political crisis.

The court said in a ruling published on its website that it was revoking a March 29 decision to take over legislative powers from the National Assembly, a move opponents had branded a "coup d’etat."

It also revoked an earlier ruling that stripped lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution and ended emergency security powers it had conferred on Maduro in the crisis.

Maduro had earlier hinted at the coming announcement in a televised address, hours after his own attorney general broke ranks to condemn the court rulings.

"We have reached an important agreement to solve this controversy," he said.

Maduro faced the strongest criticism ever from within his own camp when Attorney General Luisa Ortega condemned on Wednesday’s Supreme Court rulings that strengthened the socialist president’s grip on the levers of power.

The court decisions neutralized the opposition-majority National Assembly and revoked lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution.

Ortega called them a "rupture of constitutional order."

Maduro’s opponents had called on Venezuelans to take to the streets Saturday and urged the army to abandon him.

It remained uncertain whether protests would go ahead and what the next maneuvers in the more than year-long political standoff will be.

The opposition leader of the National Assembly, Julio Borges, earlier called on the military and other institutions to follow Ortega’s example and speak up against Maduro.

"Now is the time to obey the orders of your conscience," he said.

Pressure against Maduro also increased abroad. In Washington, the Organisation of American States (OAS) scheduled an emergency session for Monday to discuss the Venezuelan crisis.

Thirteen OAS nations, including heavyweights Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, as well as the United States, had called for the Venezuelan court rulings to be declared "incompatible with democracy and a violation of the constitutional order."

The head of the OAS, Luis Almagro, has strongly criticised the Maduro government in the past.

South American regional bloc Mercosur -- which suspended Venezuela in December -- will hold crisis talks Saturday, Argentina announced.

The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) won a landslide in legislative elections in December 2015.