RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, four founding members of the South American trade bloc Mercosur, expressed on Friday disapproval of Venezuela's recently established National Constituent Assembly (ANC).
In a statement released by the Brazilian government, which currently holds the presidency of the bloc, the four countries said the new assembly "usurped" the National Assembly, the legislature in Venezuela.
The ANC was established at the request of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura to amend the constitution in a bid to overcome the country's current political crisis.
The sub-regional bloc Mercosur was founded in 1991. In 2004, Venezuela received associate member status, and became a full member in 2012. However, its membership was suspended by the bloc in December last year due to disputes over human rights.
