Supreme Court: Constitutional amendment can not reduce presidential term


On Monday, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), determined that the request to amend the Constitution in order to reduce the mandate of President Nicolas Maduro would constitute an unconstitutional retroactivity.
Withn that context, the Supreme Justice Court, has detailed that any amendment that seeks to be made to the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, can not have a retroactive effect in time.
The Chamber recalled the historical treatment that has been given to the figure of the amendment since its entry into force in presidential periods, and detailed, among the examples, that the 22nd amendment of the US Constitution dates from 1951 and did not applied to the constitutional period which was in effect at that time.
Also, the ruling indicated that said constitutional amendment tries to immediately shorten the exercise of a people’s election office, and qualifies it as a fraud to the Constitution.
Finally the High Court decided on the demand for the interpretation of Article 340 of the Basic Text, and ordered the publication of the judgment in Judicial Gazette and the Official Gazette.