Maduro bans Venezuela opposition parties from election

Ruling Socialist Party wins 90pc of mayorships


Agencies | Published: December 11, 2017 09:47:02 | Updated: December 12, 2017 14:55:12


A man casts his vote at a polling station during a nationwide election for new mayors, in Maracaibo, Venezuela on Sunday. - Reuters photo

Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, says the country's main opposition parties are banned from taking part in next year's presidential election.

He said only parties which took part in Sunday's mayoral polls would be able to contest the presidency.

Leaders from the Justice First, Popular Will, and Democratic Action parties boycotted the vote and said the electoral system is biased.

President Maduro insists the Venezuelan system is entirely trustworthy, according to a BBC report.

In a speech on Sunday, he said the opposition parties had "disappeared from the political map".

"A party that has not participated today and has called for the boycott of the elections can't participate anymore", he said.

In October, the three main opposition parties announced they would be boycotting Sunday's vote to elect mayors in more than 300 towns and cities.

They said the vote served what they called President Maduro's dictatorship.

Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party won at least 90 per cent of the 335 mayorships contested in Sunday’s local elections, Reuters news agency reported Monday, citing President Nicolas Maduro.

According to the national election board’s latest official count, the socialists won 41 of 42 mayorships counted by late evening. But Maduro said results overnight would show his government had won more than 300 of the polls.

 

 

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