VENEZUELA: President Maduro bars opposition from next year”s vote

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that the country’s main opposition parties will be banned from taking part in next year’s presidential elections.  The Latin American leader said the opposition parties that boycotted Sunday’s municipal elections were no longer part of the political landscape and would not be able to participate in future voting. The […]

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that the country’s main opposition parties will be banned from taking part in next year’s presidential elections. 

The Latin American leader said the opposition parties that boycotted Sunday’s municipal elections were no longer part of the political landscape and would not be able to participate in future voting.

The socialist president, who has been in power since 2013, vowed to consolidate laws that support his move. 

The announcement came as Maduro’s ruling Socialist Party claimed a landslide victory in the local polls, winning at least 90 percent of the 335 mayoral seats. 

Several opposition leaders boycotted the vote, accusing the government of manipulating the process to maintain its 18-year grip on power.