Now, that country has been going through sustained civil unrest, but on Sunday, the government of current president, Nicholas Maduro, held a referendum. Venezuelans voted on whether to replace the current legislative body, the National Assembly

Maduro wants to replace it with the Constituent Assembly, which would have the power to rewrite the country's constitution.

The National Electoral Commission, which is the Venezuelan version of Belize's Elections and Boundaries Commission, which oversees elections in that country, says that more than 8 million Venezuelans voted and supported Maduro's plan to replace the National Assembly.

News reports out of Venezuela report that all the members of this new Constituent Assembly is made up of all Maduro supporters. The results of this referendum has been called a "sham elections". Venezuela has been sanctioned by the US Government, and President Trump is quoted as calling Maduro a dictator.

So, as you would expect, it's a public relations catastrophe for the Maduro Government. And, they're on a full-court press to try to change the narrative that Maduro is on the path to becoming a Venezuelan dictator.

Today, the Venezuelan Embassy in Belize hosted a press conference to make their case to Belizeans why the referendum was a free and fair exercise in democracy. Here's the head of mission talking about it:

Today's New York Times reports, quote, "President Nicolás Maduro and his leftist movement have seized control of the country, not through a coup, but through a contentious power grab that has gutted Venezuela's democratic institutions and effectively eliminated any official political challenges." It notes that in the election, quote, "There was no option for voters to turn down the plan. Venezuela's new governing body, known as the constituent assembly, will soon take charge as a ruling junta." end quote.