Venezuela vote a 'step toward dictatorship': US

The government swore to continue its push for total political dominance, a move likely to trigger US sanctions.

United Nations, Jul 31: Nikki Haley, US envoy to the United Nations, has warned that Venezuela was taking a "step toward dictatorship" in its highly controversial vote championed by beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro to rewrite the nation's constitution.

"Maduro's sham election is another step toward dictatorship. We won't accept an illegit govt. The Venezuelan ppl & democracy will prevail," Haley wrote in a tweet as the voting was marred by an escalation of deadly violence.

According to reports, Venezuelans stayed away from the polls in massive numbers in a show of protest against a vote to grant President Nicolas Maduro's ruling socialist party virtually unlimited powers in the face of a brutal socio- economic crisis and a grinding battle against its political opponents and groups of increasingly alienated and violent young protesters.

The government swore to continue its push for total political dominance of this once-prosperous OPEC nation, a move likely to trigger US sanctions and new rounds of the street fighting that has killed at least 122 and wounded nearly 2,000 since protests began in April.

PTI