The following open letter from the Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro was addressed to president Nicolás Maduro regarding the pre-electoral climate in Venezuela, which is holding legislative elections next Sunday in very questionable and controversial conditions for opposition candidates.
An electoral mission of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), the body in charge of monitoring Venezuela’s upcoming elections on December 6, called on the authorities in Caracas to immediately launch a thorough investigation into the death of an opposition politician at a rally, barely two weeks before crucial parliamentary elections.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday the fatal shooting of an opposition leader appeared to be a gangland score-settling dismissing claim it was politically motivated ahead of elections. An attacker shot Luis Manuel Diaz dead on Wednesday evening in the central Guarico region at a campaign rally for the December 6 legislative elections, party officials said, ratcheting up fears that violence could erupt in the lead-up to the polls.