Caracas — Venezuela’s government and opposition dug in for a protracted fight on Tuesday, with each side accusing the other of waging a coup ahead of national protests planned for Wednesday. The country’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to open a political trial against President Nicolas Maduro, approving a measure to summon him to testify next Tuesday as they investigate him for violating the constitution and possibly abandoning his post. Congress’s decision caps a raucous two-day session, where the legislature alleged that the government’s suspension of a referendum process against the unpopular president is tantamount to a coup. Opposition and pro-government legislators traded insults, while pro-Maduro supporters surrounded the building during a rally held in downtown Caracas. The bid to subject Maduro to a political trial is unlikely to gain traction, though, given the ruling socialists’ control of virtually all other government institutions. While opinion polls sh...
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