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Venezuelan president: "Opposition cannot issue ultimatums on early elections"

04 November 2016 05:02 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected the opposition’s ultimatum on holding early elections in the country, APA reports quoting Sputnik.

"There can be no ultimatums. Nobody can issue an ultimatum. Everything in its time," Maduro said in a national address on Thursday, as quoted by the Jamaica Observer.

The opposition demands that elections be held at the start of 2017, which is two years ahead of the official end of Maduro’s term. On October 25, Venezuela’s opposition-dominated National Assembly voted in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings against Maduro.

Maduro accused the National Assembly of a coup and called a Defense Council meeting to assess the situation. Maduro’s relations with the National Assembly strained after the parliament became opposition –led in January.

Public support for Maduro has dropped to record low levels as falling oil prices strained Venezuela’s budget and sparked high inflation and shortages of goods.