Battle was joined on 5 January. Opposition deputies took their seats
in the new-look national assembly after last September's legislative elections,
but they will be virtually unarmed. The opposition's reckless decision to
boycott the 2005 elections played a big part in ensuring the emasculation of the
65 Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) deputies in the 167-seat assembly. Not
only did the ruling Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) take advantage
of its control of the previous assembly to approve an enabling law granting
President Hugo Chávez legislative powers to rule by decree until mid 2012 but it
also further curtailed its own role by dramatically reducing the number of
sessions and committee meetings of the new assembly.End of preview - This article contains approximately 749 words.
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