Venezuela's National Assembly approved a reform allowing private investment in the electricity sector, ending the state's monopoly to combat long-standing blackouts.

<p> <img alt="The system, which prior to 2007 operated under a mixed and regionalized model, began to deteriorate due to a lack of maintenance and new investment" height="80" src="https://en.mercopress.com/data/cache/noticias/110362/100x80/black.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 12px 6px 0; border: 1px solid #333;" width="100" /> Venezuela's National Assembly gave initial approval to a reform of the electricity law that opens the sector to private investment through long-te...