MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2020) A lack of unity among opposition parties in Venezuela was one of the reasons behind the victory of the socialist Simon Bolivar Great Patriotic Pole alliance in the parliamentary election, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said.
"Out of the 277 parliamentary seats we won almost 250. The opposition was in disunity, this did not allow them to optimize their election campaign," Maduro said at a Monday meeting with Russian observers, broadcast on his Twitter account.
Over 100 political parties and associations participated in the Sunday parliamentary election in Venezuela. The opposition bloc of Juan Guaido, a failed coup leader, refused to take part in the vote.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Sunday that the parliamentary election in Venezuela was held without violations and the new National Assembly will start carrying out its duties beginning January 5.
Russian election observer mission head Igor Ananskikh told Sputnik that the early results of the Venezuelan election demonstrated the legitimacy of the new National Assembly.
In January 2019, Venezuela plunged into a political crisis when the then-head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust reelected President Maduro from power. The United States and most Western countries endorsed Guaido and slapped crippling sanctions on Venezuela. Russia, China, Turkey and several other nations have been supporting Maduro.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Cuba and Venezuela Carrie Filipetti said on Monday that the United States planned to continue implementing its sanctions policy toward Venezuela.
