CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro moved closer on Wednesday to ruling by decree after the legislature held a first vote that would allow him to act against "external or internal" threats to peace.
Amid deteriorating relations with Washington, Maduro attended the session of the National Assembly to ask for the special legislative powers to confront perceived a US threat.
His move raised concerns that he would use decrees to crack down on the opposition and curb individual rights.
"The aggression and threat from the US government is the biggest that Venezuela has ever faced and the response must be national unity," the socialist leader said.
Maduro urged the population to hold on Saturday a "defense exercise to prevent the yankee boot to ever touch our fatherland." He did not elaborate on the nature of the defense activity.
The Venezuelan president has accused Washington of backing an opposition plot to bomb the presidential palace in order to overthrow him.
The legislature, dominated by the ruling party, approved the six-month decree powers in a hand vote early Wednesday. A second vote is now needed.
The legislation would allow Maduro to issue decrees for the "protection against meddling by other states in the internal affairs of the republic, militaristic actions or any external or internal activity that aims to break the peace."
Maduro sought the increased powers after US President Barack Obama ordered new sanctions on Monday against seven Venezuelan officials over their involvement in a crackdown on the opposition.
The US State Department denied that Washington was promoting "instability" or seeking to undermine Maduro's administration, with spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying "the goal of the sanctions is to persuade the government of Venezuela to change their behavior."
Obama called oil-rich Venezuela "an extraordinary threat to the national security" of the United States. The two nations have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010.
Despite the rift, Venezuela continues to be a major oil exporter to the United States, shipping almost one million barrels per day up north.
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