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Supreme Court grants Maduro economic emergency powers, opposition cries foul

The opposition has vowed to find a legal way to remove Maduro, by resignation or referendum, by mid-2016.

Nicolas Maduro- President of Venezuela

Venezuela's Supreme Court approved President Nicolas Maduro's "economic emergency" decree on Thursday, setting up a showdown after the Venezuelan Congress rejected the measure last month.

Maduro's decree includes wider executive powers to control the budget, companies and the currency amid a severe economic crisis in the OPEC nation.

The new opposition-led National Assembly shot the measure down in late January, saying it offered no real solutions to the worsening recession, shortages, and inflation.

However, in a decision published on its website, Venezuela's top court granted leftist Maduro those executive powers, foreshadowing an institutional showdown.

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"Now the economic emergency decree has been activated," Maduro rejoiced on state television. "So in the next few days I will activate a series of measures that I had been working on. This really helps our work."

Venezuela's opposition accused what it described as a subservient judiciary of undermining democracy.

"The Supreme Court cannot usurp the powers of the legislature,"Juan Guaido, an opposition lawmaker from Vargas, said on Twitter.

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