Constituent Assembly Bypasses the Opposition-Controlled National Assembly

After the opposition won a supermajority in the National Assembly in 2015, Maduro convened a new "Constituent Assembly" via presidential decree rather than the referendum the constitution required, elected in a vote the opposition boycotted and independent observers called neither free nor fair. The Chávez-packed Supreme Tribunal validated the move. The new body stripped the elected National Assembly of its powers, effectively ending Venezuela's last remaining check on presidential authority.