Venezuelan presidential election on April 22

Caracas Feb 8 (IANS) Venezuela s National Electoral Council (CNE) has announced that the country s presidential election will be held on April 22.

The announcement on Wednesday is in accordance of the ruling National Constituent Assembly s (ANC) decision in January to move up the presidential election before the April 30 deadline reports Xinhua news agency.

President Nicolas Maduro will be running for re-election as the United Socialist Party s (PSUV) candidate.

On February 3 Maduro had urged the CNE to set an election date "without delay".

He also reiterated that the country will hold the election "with or without" the participation of the right-wing opposition which boycotted last year s polls to elect members of the ANC.

The move backfired with millions of Venezuelans going to the polls despite the opposition s campaign to keep voters away.

The presidential election was set to take place in December 2018 but the ruling socialist party feared that external support for the right-wing opposition coalition could strengthen the anti-government movement over the coming months.

--IANS
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