Venezuela staged rescheduled municipal elections on 10 December as the government led by President Nicolás Maduro sought to drive home the surprise victory of the ruling Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) in regional elections two months earlier. The outcome was never in doubt as the three largest opposition parties – Primero Justicia (PJ), Voluntad Popular (VP), and Acción Democrática (AD) – boycotted the elections precisely because of the regional contest which they argued was marred by fraud. Maduro placed far greater value on the municipal elections, after the event, by threatening to bar the opposition parties that refused to compete from taking part in next year’s presidential elections, a move which would render the current national dialogue process in the Dominican Republic meaningless.End of preview - This article contains approximately 777 words.
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