Venezuela’s Supreme Court reverses ruling on congress powers

Venezuela’s Supreme Court has reversed its move to strip congress of its legislative powers.

The move had drawn widespread criticism at home and abroad that the South American country was no longer a democracy.

President Nicolas Maduro asked the Supreme Court in a late-night speech to review a ruling nullifying the lawmaking body after that decision set off a storm of criticism from the opposition and foreign governments.

The court on Saturday released new rulings that appeared to reinstate congress’s authority.

It was a rare instance of the embattled socialist president backing away from a move that would have increased his power.