The left's lust for power is what forces revolution on a country.

Venezuela Supreme Court blocks opposition's parliamentary super-majority in 'judicial coup'

Judges granted government request to suspend three parliamentarians due to take office next week - taking opposition below two-thirds majority needed to unpick Nicolas Maduro's grip on power

By Hannah Strange, Foreign Editor

8:04PM GMT 31 Dec 2015

Venezuela's Supreme Court has blocked the parliamentary super-majority won by the opposition in December's landmark elections, in a move denounced by opposition leaders as a "judicial coup" by President Nicolas Maduro. 

The court - which critics complain is stacked with pro-government judges - granted a request from Mr Maduro to suspend three opposition parliamentarians who were due to take office on Tuesday. It will now consider a legal challenge filed by the Socialist government, which has alleged a "criminal" vote buying plot and other electoral fraud on the part of the opposition. One Socialist parliamentarian has also been suspended. 

But the opposition insisted the elected parliamentarians would turn up to be sworn in on Tuesday, setting the stage for a tense political standoff and a possible repeat of the civil unrest which paralysed parts of the country throughout much of 2014. 

• Venezuela elections: will results mark a turning point?

The opposition coalition the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) took 112 out of 167 National Assembly seats in the December 6 election - landing the first major blow against the Socialist government since the late self-styled revolutionary, Hugo Chavez, took power in 1999. 

The result gave them a two-thirds super-majority by just one seat, which would have enabled them to unpick the grip on power of Chavez's successor, the unpopular Mr Maduro. 

If they lose the three deputies, those powers will be diminished. They will still be able to remove cabinet ministers, among other possible moves. But, crucially, they will not be able to call a referendum - such as their much hoped for recall vote on Mr Maduro's presidency - or change the constitution. 

The opposition had already been enraged by government moves to curtail its new power. Mr Maduro has announced a "people's parliament" to run alongside the Assembly, and last week used an extraordinary legislative session to appoint 13 new judges and 23 substitute judges to the 32-member Supreme Court. 

Ahead of the court's decision, the opposition called on the international community to stop what it called "a procedural coup attempt against the Venezuelan people's decision". 

"The ruling party's irresponsible behaviour is pushing the entire country to the brink of disaster, which would have grave consequences for the entire region," Jesus Torrealba, MUD executive secretary, wrote in an open letter to Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations secretary general, and other international representatives.