Venezuela president’s threat to ban opposition draws rebuff
CARACAS, Venezuela — Opposition parties in Venezuela won’t be bullied out of participating in future elections, a leading anti-government politician said Monday, rejecting threats a day earlier by socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
As the ruling socialists captured a majority of mayoral seats across Venezuela on Sunday, Maduro said that opposition parties would be banned from future elections as punishment for boycotting the races.
But Juan Mejia, a leader of opposition party Voluntad Popular, called the vote an “electoral farce,” saying that his party would not be eliminated by a presidential decree.
“This party does not kneel,” he said. “This party does not back down and does not give up on its principles.”