U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Tuesday for a referendum that could force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office amid the OPEC nation's deepening economic and political crisis, Reuters reported. Venezuela is suffering a protracted and brutal economic slowdown, long lines for food and medicines and soaring prices, leading to protests and opposition calls for a recall referendum to remove Maduro, a measure allowed under the constitution. In his opening speech to a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in the Dominican Republic, Kerry called for dialogue and said Washington was strongly committed to working with members to address Venezuela's "deeply troubling" situation. In a reference to the referendum push, Kerry called on the political heirs of Venezuela's former President Hugo Chavez to respect people's right to constitutional mechanisms to express their will, throwing Washington's weight behind OAS chief Luis Almagro's unvarnished criticism of Maduro. In a fiery speech to the OAS members directly after Kerry's remarks, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez accused Almagro of bias and siding with Venezuelan opposition groups in pushing for a referendum to recall Maduro.
