Venezuela top court to assume congress role; opposition decries 'dictatorship'

People walk past the building of the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Marco Bello

CARACAS (Reuters) - Opposition leaders branded Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro a "dictator" on Thursday after the Supreme Court took over the functions of Congress and pushed a lengthy political standoff to new heights.

There was swift international condemnation of the de facto annulment of the National Assembly, where the opposition won a majority in late 2015 amid an unprecedented economic crisis that has seen Maduro's popularity plummet.