CARACAS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) on Monday rejected a motion to cancel the upcoming National Constituent Assembly (ANC) filed by attorney-general Luisa Ortega Diaz.
Posting on Twitter, the TSJ's Electoral Chamber called the motion "unacceptable" and said it contained an "inept series of assumptions."
The ANC is being organized by President Nicolas Maduro to rewrite the country's Constitution, which he claims is the best way to solve the country's long-running political and economic gridlock. However, Ortega Diaz has claimed that he did not have the power to do so, without prior consultation.
On June 8, she had filed this motion, specifically seeking to cancel elections for representatives to the ANC. Applications to become a candidate for these elections closed on June 10.
The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) has supported Ortega Diaz, with deputy Delsa Solorzano saying that "the internal paths are formally closed and we will now go to international bodies" to resolve the difficult situation in Venezuela.
Her colleague, Freddy Guevara, added that MUD militants would continue protesting outside the TSJ as a symbol of support.
The MUD has rejected the attempt to write a new Constitution as a power grab by Maduro.
After applications from candidates have been reviewed and approved, the electoral campaign for the ANC will begin on July 9, before a national vote is held on July 30.
Over 19 million Venezuelans are called on to elect 545 delegates to the ANC, who will then draft the new Constitution, before it is put to a national referendum.
