Venezuela to hold parliamentary elections in December

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Parliamentary elections in Venezuela will be held on Dec. 6, the president of the National Electoral Council said Wednesday.

"We have unanimously approved both the call for the electoral process and the schedule for the election of the candidates for the period 2021-2026. Venezuelans, elections to the National Assembly will take place on Dec. 6," Indira Alfonzo said in a televised address.

Alfonzo also talked about what the election schedule will look like. Candidates will be registered from July 13-26 and the election campaign will be held from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5. She also announced that there will be 15 audits to “guarantee a transparent and reliable election.”

Candidates will contest an expanded number of seats in the new legislature, which will increase from 167 to 277, said Alfonzo.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido criticized the announcement.

"Venezuelans do not recognize a sham, as we did not in May of 2018,” Guaido said, referring to the presidential elections held in Venezuela on May 20, 2018.

"The right to choose has been our struggle. We chose to live with dignity and in democracy, not with impositions," he said on his Twitter account.