By Vivian Sequera
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Venezuela’s weekend election took place with better conditions for voters than previous contests, but there were instances of people being arbitrarily turned away and the country must strengthen its electoral authority, the head of the European Union’s observation mission said on Tuesday.
The vote for regional and local seats was the first time in four years the country’s opposition has run candidates, but it suffered a resounding defeat with the ruling party winning at least 18 out of 23 governorships.
“There were arbitrary situations,” Isabel Santos, the head of the mission told journalists, calling for the observers’ eventual final report not to be used as a political instrument.
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb)
