Venezuela enters critical stage in political crisis

Venezuelans were set to learn on Monday the scope of a state of emergency that President Nicolas Maduro declared at the start of the weekend, as the country's political crisis enters a critical stage.

The expected government decree explaining the emergency order will come as the military prepares for exercises to counter an unspecified "armed intervention," while opponents plan a march demanding a vote to recall Maduro.

The president's unspecified emergency measure could be used to limit the right to protest, authorize preventive arrests and allow police raids without a warrant.

Maduro late Friday extended a decree of "economic emergency" first announced in January that allows him, among other things, to seize paralyzed factories.

But in a surprise move he also declared a full-blown state of emergency for three months, suggesting that the measure could be extended through 2017.

Maduro said the government would expropriate factories that had been closed by owners complaining of a lack of raw materials and foreign currency to pay suppliers.
"We must take all measures to recover productive capacity, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie," he told a rally of his supporters in Caracas.

"Anyone who wants to halt (production) to sabotage the country should get out, and those who do must be handcuffed" and imprisoned, he said.

The announcement could notably affect the Polar group, Venezuela's biggest food company, which halted production on April 30.

- Weekend military exercises -

On Saturday Maduro also said military exercises would be held next weekend "to prepare ourselves for any scenario."

Maduro has routinely accused the United States of conspiring with wealthy business interests to destroy his government.

Last year the United States declared Venezuela a threat to its national security in order to sanction a limited number of the country's leaders.

But President Barack Obama's administration has largely refrained from public comment on the Venezuela's political crisis to avoid being seen as meddling.
Maduro, the hand-picked successor of the late Hugo Chavez, has presided over a collapse of Venezuela's economy since he took charge in 2013.

The global plunge in oil prices, an economy that shrank nearly 6 percent last year, inflation projected to rise to as much as 700 percent this year, lack of food, and a drought that has forced extreme energy rationing have all fueled public anger against the 53-year-old president.

Oil revenues represent 95 percent of Venezuela's export earnings, according to OPEC, and the United States is Venezuela's main oil export market, taking in 40 percent of its production.

- Gearing up for protests -

Venezuela's opposition, which controls the National Assembly, has warned of the risk of a social "explosion" in the country.

The opposition says it has collected 1.8 million signatures backing a referendum on Maduro's time in office.

But the vote must be held by the end of the year to trigger new elections. Any later, and if the recall succeeds, Maduro's vice president would take over.
Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz said Sunday there would not even be a vote because of the opposition's alleged irregularities in collecting signatures.

"There will be no referendum here. They know there will be no referendum" because of the alleged irregularities.

He added: "They'll have to kill us all before they can deliver a legislative coup."

The opposition will put the state of emergency rules to test on Wednesday, when they plan to hold mass nationwide protest marches to the offices of the National Electoral Council demanding that they meet deadlines to hold a recall vote this year.