Pro-government assembly takes powers of Venezuelan congress

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s new pro-government Constituent Assembly formally moved Friday to assume the powers of the opposition-dominated congress, completing what critics call a power grab that effectively puts all branches of government under the control of President Nicolas Maduro.

The Constituent Assembly, created in a July 30 vote decried as fraud by the opposition and a host of nations, had begun to assume the role of the National Assembly, whose members were democratically elected in 2015.

But in a move likely to spark further international condemnations, the motion Friday formalized the arrangement.