Senior EU lawmaker calls on Venezuela's Maduro to go, backs National Assembly

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro must step down and allow the country's congress to lead the country back to democracy, one of the European Parliament's most senior lawmakers said on Thursday, taking a tougher stance than EU foreign ministers.

"President Maduro has lost any legitimacy to lead his country. He needs to step aside," David McAllister, a German conservative who chairs the parliament's foreign affairs committee, said in a statement.

"The national assembly as the legitimate, democratically elected institution must lead the transition towards a full restitution of democracy in Venezuela," said McAllister, who is close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Reporting by Robin Emmott)