Day 3 of dictatorship: nothing to see here, move along

Briefly because it is midnight.

Apparently the high court TSJ only works around midnight, vampire style. So after the Defense Council they decided to amend the two grievous rulings by just removing the offending paragraphs. but leaving the rest, slightly less offensive. Note that said council has right to meddle in this issue.

So according to Maduro justice in Venezuela operates as follows. The TSJ rules something people do not like. He knew nothing about it. See, powers are independent in Venezuela. Then another power bitches about the ruling and Maduro calls in all the parts to settle the score. The parts do not show up but the meeting takes place anyway under the guiding lights of Maduro. And of course the TSJ confronted with its confusion just removes a paragraph of a sentence that cannot be modified to begin with since everything the TSJ says is supposedly final. But Maduro asked nicely I guess, so they obliged. All very independently from each other, of course.

According to reality a meeting takes place at Mraflores palace where Maduro or his wife chairs those summoned. An order is given. A ruling is thus produced. If there is a reaction then we find a scape goat and the thing is changed, or forced through, or amended, until months later a rewording eventually passes once and for all what the regime wants.

At any rate there is no need to go into details. The TSJ has given up for the time being the power to write laws directly. But the ability of the National Assembly to write laws is not restored. So we are back to the situation of one week ago EXCEPT that now the world refuses to accept the future intentions of the regime, intentions so crassly and ineptly exhibited three days ago.

The backpedaling did not stop people from protesting in Caracas and elsewhere with an audacity not seen in a long while (my tweeter time line today has a few examples).

Mercosur decided to apply its own democratic charter anyway, regardless of the edited ruling....

And the OAS is still on track for its Monday special session where I understand there already more people in favor to hold it than what was happening for the last session on Venezuela. NOTE: Ecuador votes tomorrow and it is quite possible that the Correa era may end which by itself may have an impact on Monday. If the opposition wins it would be awkward for Ecuador ambassador to support bluntly Venezuela as the opposition has expressed its condemnation of Venezuela's regime.

Finally there were pictures out that Luisa Ortega visiting Miraflores palace Saturday and all is fine and dandy. Except that there was no TV, that Luisa has not confirmed it yet independently, and Maduro looks thinner than he has been looking recently. Archives recycled? Fake news? News? You decide.

In progress: apparently the law and the constitution dictate that TSJ judges who made so grievous "mistakes" should be removed promptly. We do not know whether the NA will go this way. But today at least the bar association of Venezuela has disbarred the judges. This is going to be fun...