University students Tuesday are participating in a march from the campus of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), northeast Caracas, to the headquarters of the National Assembly, downtown Caracas.
 
Ricardo Sánchez, the general secretary of the UCV Federation of Students' Councils said demonstrators would not only deliver a document to parliamentarians, but they are also going to ask for an opportunity to take the floor in the ongoing debate about the changes to the Constitution proposed by President Hugo Chávez.

"We want to debate with the (legislative) power. The legislative power, without any prior notice, has changed 25 articles of the Constitution. As Venezuelans, we want an explanation; we want to know why lawmakers are advocating participative democracy while reserving for themselves and only for themselves the right to address such a sensible issue."

Regarding pro-government students' call to debate the reform, Sánchez said the university student movement is only talking to the legislative power.

"Efforts have been made to foster a clash between students, but there is not such a clash. The student movement, together with civil society, wants the parliamentarians who have turned their backs on the country to explain the reasons behind these changes (to the Constitution)."

Political organizations and civil society groups are joining the university students' march on Tuesday.