Polling in Venezuela opened on Sunday to elect members of the National Assembly in a vote championed by President Nicolŕs Maduro but rejected as a fraud by the nation’s Opposition politicians.
Mr. Maduro seeks to pack the Assembly with members of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, capturing the last government institution out of his reach. Critics say doing so will smother the last remnants of democracy in Venezuela.
An Opposition coalition led by U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaidū is boycotting the vote.
International bodies like the EU have refused to send observers to Sunday’s election, saying the conditions for a democratic process don’t exist.
