Venezuelan pro-government parties call the electoral authorities to terminate the registration of the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition coalition. Pro-government parties call on the electoral authorities to terminate the registration of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) opposition coalition citing the alleged fraud during the collection of signatures for the referendum on ousting President Nicolas Maduro, local media reported. "It is public, it is obvious, it is represented in the media and it is fully demonstrated that the so called MUD is involved in the most gigantic fraud which has ever been known to the political and electoral history of Venezuela," president of the commission on verification of signatures to recall the presidential referendum Jorge Rodriguez said, as quoted by the El Universal news portal on Tuesday. Earlier in June, opposition leader and Miranda State Governor Henrique Capriles reported that over 230,000 signatures had been validated out of the minimum 200,000 signatures, or one percent of all registered voters nationwide. The opposition managed to collect over 2 million signatures in total. Rodriguez said that 307,700 of presented signatures failed to meet one or more of the technical requirements, for example, 10,995 signatures belong to already deceased voters. Public support for Maduro has dropped to record lows after falling oil prices strained Venezuela’s budget, sparking high inflation and food shortages. Source URL |
