US President Donald Trump has threatened to take "strong and swift economic actions" if Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro goes ahead with plans to create a controversial super-legislature known as a Constituent Assembly in a July 30 vote.
"Yesterday, the Venezuelan people again made clear that they stand for democracy, freedom and rule of law. Yet their strong and courageous actions continue to be ignored by a bad leader who dreams of becoming a dictator," Trump said in a statement.
"The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles. If the Maduro regime imposes its Constituent Assembly on July 30, the United States will take strong and swift economic actions," Trump said.
Earlier, Venezuela's opposition coalition called for a general strike to take place on Thursday in protest at Maduro's plans to rewrite the constitution.
"We call on the whole country to take part in a massive, peaceful protest, a national 24-hour strike," opposition leader Freddy Guevara said Monday.
The call came one day after 98.4 per cent of Venezuelans voted against the planned constitutional changes in a non-binding referendum organised by the opposition. More than a third of the South American country's 19 million voters took part.
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