The National Constituent Assembly (ANC) unanimously agreed May 20 to extend its term from August 4, 2019 to December 31, 2020. The ANC was established on August 4, 2017 for a period of two years, so its mandate should have ended in August 2019. The decision is based on the fact that the ANC considers that the National Assembly (AN), the Legislative branch established in the Constitution, “is not doing its job well”. Along the same lines, Maduro announced that he is willing to hold early legislative elections of the National Assembly, on a date not yet determined (originally to be held in December 2020).

See FAQs: What is the difference between the National Assembly and the Constituent National Assembly?

The president of the ANC, Diosdado Cabello, said “although the opposition does not like it, the people expect a lot from us”. In addition, he assured that this institution “is above the Constitution”. Finally, he criticized the opposition for not being able to guarantee the stability of Venezuela.

On the other hand, Nicolás Maduro said that the NA is the only institution “that has not been legitimized in the last five years”, which, according to him, justifies calling for early elections. “I want elections now. We are heading towards a peaceful, electoral, democratic and constitutional solution”. It is important to remember that the current members of the NA’s term expires January 4, 2020.