Venezuela Lawmakers Set to Reject Economic Crisis Plan

Venezuelan opposition lawmakers vowed to reject on Friday President Nicolas Maduro's bid to decree a state of economic emergency, deepening a political crisis in the oil-rich nation.

Friday is the deadline for the opposition-controlled National Assembly to vote on Maduro's decree, which would give him special powers to intervene in the economic crisis.

The opposition speaker of the congress, Henry Ramos Allup, accused Maduro's government late Thursday of failing to adequately inform lawmakers of the details of the decree so they could debate the plan.

"How can we vote in favor of a decree when the government has not even provided information that could support its case?" he said on television.

He said earlier that lawmakers suspended a session of the assembly in which government ministers were due to defend the decree because the ministers did not show up.

Maduro's economic team pulled out at the last minute saying they would only participate if it was closed to the media, Ramos said.

Senior pro-government officials accused the center-right opposition, which this month took control of the assembly for the first time in 17 years, of trying to turn the session into a "media show."

The decree, issued a week ago, would give Maduro 60 days of extraordinary powers to combat a deep recession and triple-digit inflation.

It allows for the administration to commandeer private companies' resources, impose currency controls and take "other social, economic or political measures deemed fitting."

The opposition as well as some businesses and unions have warned it is a threat to free enterprise and will protect failed policies.

With Venezuela in a spiraling economic crisis, the opposition has vowed to force changes to Maduro's economic policies, but nevertheless promised to study the decree.

But Ramos rejected a proposal by Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz that lawmakers meet at his offices with ministers to discuss the decree in private.

The assembly was due to hold a session from 1530 GMT on Friday to decide on the decree.