Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Sunday was given the right to rule by decree for nine months, as he continued to capitalize on the backlash created by recent U.S. sanctions.
In a raucous session full of chanting and blistering speeches, the National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling party, passed the “Anti-Imperialist Enabling Law for Peace.”
The law, which gives Maduro the ability to bypass congress in issuing security and defense legislation through December, is expected to go into effect Monday when it’s published in the official gazette.
Maduro didn’t say how he will use his new powers, but the opposition worries that the socialist administration will continue to crack down on dissent in the run-up to legislative elections.
Sunday capped a week of political jiu-jitsu, during which Maduro has managed to portray the U.S. sanctions against seven officials as a major threat to the South American nation.
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