Caracas, May 2 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for a new popular assembly to rewrite the country's constitution.  The Venezuelan leader made the announcement on Monday while addressing a large group of his supporters during a May Day rally in Caracas. 

Nicolas Maduro emphasized that such a move was taken to "block the fascist coup," which is endangering the country that has been the scene of weeks of violence between pro- and anti-government protesters. 

The Venezuelan president added that the new assembly would be a "citizen's constituent body, not from political parties -- but a people's constituent body."  He said he would submit the application for the new body to the National Electoral Council. 

The new assembly will be a group of 500 elected people from all sectors of the country's society, half of which to be chosen from the "working class base" and the rest from local councils. 

Venezuela's current constitution was drawn up by a Constituent Assembly of various representatives in 1999 formed by the order of Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez.