CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's opposition is blasting a string of key appointments it says will further bend the judiciary to the interests of the socialist government.
Among the 12 Supreme Court justices appointed Sunday by the National Assembly are two judges responsible for the decade-long imprisonment of a former police chief that rallied the opposition.
Last week, the legislature also extended the term of the country's questioned chief prosecutor and named two government allies to head nominally independent human rights and fiscal watchdog agencies.
Venezuela's constitution requires candidates be approved by two-thirds of lawmakers. But in the absence of such support pro-government lawmakers have bypassed the rules, approving appointees by simple majorities and leaving to the Supreme Court the task of reshaping the National Electoral Council that will oversee next year's parliamentary vote.
