VENEZUELANS marched in support of their country’s constitutional reform process yesterday as ministers met business and religious leaders.

The demonstration was called in support of President Nicolas Maduro’s proposal to convene a national constituent assembly in a bid to end weeks of deadly riots.

The Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Fedecamaras) and the Catholic Episcopal Conference of Venezuela were among those invited to the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.

Other churches and university vice-chancellors were also invited by former vicepresident Elias Jaua, chair of the commission appointed by Mr Maduro to convene the assembly.

Fedecamaras head Francisco Martinez — whose predecessor Pedro Carmona was “president” for a day during the failed 2002 coup against the late president Hugo Chavez — did not confirm his attendence, but Mr Jaua met business leaders on Saturday.

However, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition of some 20 opposition parties vowed to boycott the event, having also stayed out of internationally mediated talks with Mr Maduro since January.

Instead, the Mud staged its own march from the Education Ministry to Mr Jaua’s office to deliver a letter of protest. “We will not be part of a fraudulent process,” Mud leader Henrique Capriles declared.

“We Venezuelans have a constitution, and to change it here are the existing mechanisms.”

In March, the Supreme Court declared the Mud-dominated National Assembly to be sitting unconstitutionally after it swore in three deputies who were suspended for suspected ballot fraud.

Those three gave the opposition the two-thirds super-majority required to amend the constitution.