A/HRC/45/CRP.11 find common ground on key points, including regarding vital Government appointments, and cooperation failed to materialise. 70. The demonstrations continued through the end of May 2014. On 24 April, the Supreme Court ruled that demonstrations could only take place with the permission of local authorities.105 Protests and violence continued to break out in pockets around the country, particularly in and around universities.106 Twenty-seven attacks or raids on university campuses by State security forces and/or armed civilians were registered in May 2014. 107 More information regarding the demonstrations and changes over time is in the Chapter V on Violations in the Context of Protests. 71. Simultaneously, and in part as a consequence of the global fall in oil prices, the economic situation in the country deteriorated rapidly, continuing to raise tensions and increase political opposition. Inflation by December 2014 had reached 63.4 per cent. 108 B. December 2015-December 2016: Deterioration of Democratic Institutions 72. In December 2015, for the first time in 16 years, the coalition of opposition parties – the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) – won two-thirds of seats in the elections for the National Assembly.109 Before the new legislators took power in January 2016, the outgoing National Assembly moved quickly to select 13 judges and 21 alternates of the Supreme Court, ensuring the appointment of ruling party loyalists. 110 73. Throughout 2016, the Supreme Court consistently declared laws passed by the National Assembly as unconstitutional,111 following requests by President Maduro to have them reviewed for constitutionality.112 Between December 2015 and August 2016, the Supreme Court issued several decisions113 challenging the election of legislators from the 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 Judgment No. 276 of 24 April 2014, available at: https://vlexvenezuela.com/vid/gerardo-sanchezchacon-593352510. See statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Venezuela: la Alta Comisionada de la ONU preocupada por nuevos actos de violencia”, 9 May 2014, available at: https://news.un.org/es/story/2014/05/1301111. Including in the Universidad Católica del Táchira (UCAT), Universidad de los Andes (ULA, núcleos Mérida y Táchira), Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira (UNET), Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacín (URBE), Universidad Metropolitana (UNIMET), Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB, núcleos Caracas y Guayana) y Universidad Santa María (USM). Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Católica Andres Bello, Licencia para Protestar: La decisión del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia del 24 de abril de 2014 y el incremento de la represión en el marco de las manifestaciones pacíficas, June 2014, p. 14, available at: http://w2.ucab.edu.ve/tl_files/CDH/Lineastematicas/licencia%20para%20protestar.pdf. See, e.g.: https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2015/02/13/nota/4554261/venezuela-cerro-inflacion685-2014-segun-banco-central; https://www.finanzasdigital.com/2015/02/bcv-inflacion-acumuladadel-ano-2014-cerro-685/. The MUD received 65.27 per cent, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela – PSUV) received 32.93 per cent and the Indigenous Representation party (Representación Indígena) received 1.80 per cent of the vote. See National Electoral Council, results of the 2015 election of the National Assembly, available at: http://www.cne.gob.ve/resultado_asamblea2015/r/0/reg_000000.html?. Extraordinary Act No, 4-2015 of 23 December 2015. See e.g., Judgment No. 259 of 31 March 2016; Judgment No. 246 of 11 April 2016; Judgment No. 327 of 28 April 2016; Judgment No. 341 of 5 May 2016; Judgment No. 343 of 6 May 2016; Judgment No. 460 of 9 June 2016 (deemed unconstitutional in light of the declaration of the President’s state of exception); Judgment No. 808 of 2 September 2016. 1999 Constitution, art. 214, which states, “When the President considers that the law or any of its articles is unconstitutional, he shall be required to request a ruling from the Constitutional Division of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, within the ten-day period allowed the President for promulgating the law”. See Judgment No. 260 of 30 December 2015; Judgment No. 1 of 11 January 2016; Judgment No. 3 of 14 January 2016; Judgment No. 108 of 2 August 2016; and Judgment No. 126 of 11 August 2016. 17