Getting your player ready...
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday asked congress to grant him special powers to enact laws by decree for one year, just before a new legislature takes office with a larger contingent of opposition lawmakers.
The measure would give the president the ability to bypass the National Assembly for the fourth time since he was first elected almost 12 years ago. The measure is expected to win easy approval in the outgoing legislature dominated by Chavez allies.
