CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signed a decree granting him additional security powers in case of a military incursion into the country, the nation’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Monday. The decree would allow Maduro to mobilize armed forces throughout the country and give the military authority over public services and the […]
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Venezuela’s Maduro signs decree granting security powers in case of military intervention
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CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signed a decree granting him additional security powers in case of a military incursion into the country, the nation’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Monday.
The decree would allow Maduro to mobilize armed forces throughout the country and give the military authority over public services and the oil industry.
Maduro last week said he would submit the decree for consideration. It was unclear when it was signed.
The powers would be valid for 90 days, with the option to be renewed for 90 more, according to the nation’s constitution.
The measure comes as the U.S. has deployed a fleet of warships in the Caribbean, which Washington says is to combat drug trafficking through the region. Maduro’s government alleges that the U.S. is plotting to remove him from power.
The U.S. military in recent weeks has struck several boats it claims were carrying illicit drugs from Venezuela, killing those aboard. Experts have questioned the legality of the move.
“What the U.S. government, what warlord Marco Rubio is doing against Venezuela is a threat,” Rodriguez told diplomats in a meeting on Monday.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Additional reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Franklin Paul and Stephen Coates)