Venezuelan lawmaker promises to fix gov't 'malfunction'

CARACAS - Venezuela's new National Constituent Assembly (ANC) "aims to repair the malfunction" plaguing the country's governing system, a top lawmaker said on Thursday.

In order to do that, the other branches of government must be subordinate to the powerful legislative body, Delcy Rodriguez, a former foreign minister who was recently elected president of the ANC, told reporters at a press conference.

In one of its early decisions, the recently-installed ANC has decreed that Venezuela's five branches of government, the executive, legislative, judicial, electoral and citizen, are subject to its rulings.

"This regulation aims to repair the malfunction of the public branches," said Rodriguez, adding that ANC has already approved key norms to reestablish peace in the politically roiled nation.

"These measures are designed to meet the high goals of the state, without impairing the constitutional functions of each branch," said Rodriguez.

Venezuela's Constitution calls for a mechanism such as the ANC to amend constitutional laws and reorganize the state to improve government.

However, the country's opposition opposed the initiative and refused to take part in July 30 elections to elect the members of the constituent body, claiming it would only strengthen the ruling party.

The opposition was also motivated by the fact that the ANC supersedes the National Assembly, or Congress, which was under the opposition's control.

The ongoing power struggle between the two sides has led to months of confrontations that have left more than 100 people dead, including protesters, government supporters and security forces.

The ANC has created a truth commission to investigate the circumstances of the deaths that have occurred during anti-government protests.

By holding those responsible to account, "we are preventing violent incidents from happening again in the future," the lawmakers said.