Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic)

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles challenged President Nicolas Maduro’s narrow election victory before the Supreme Court yesterday, prolonging what appears to be a futile effort to overturn last month’s vote. Capriles refused to accept the results of the April 14 vote for a successor to late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, and called on supporters to take the streets. That led to unruly demonstrations in which the government says nine people died.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Opposition and government supporters flooded Venezuelan streets in rival May Day marches yesterday as a continuing dispute over the results of last month’s presidential vote kept political tensions high in the OPEC nation. On Tuesday, opposition deputies were beaten in a fracas in Congress resulting from their refusal to recognise the presidency of Nicolas Maduro, who narrowly won the April 14 election triggered by the death of socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

Cuba and Venezuela have signed accords for 51 joint projects worth $2 billion US dollars in Havana, local media reported Sunday. At the close of 13th Cuba-Venezuela Intergovernmental Meeting Saturday night, Cuban President Raul Castro and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the deals for projects in such areas as education, health, sports, culture, food production, construction, transport, communications, energy and support of social missions.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — The Roman Catholic Church weighed in yesterday on Venezuela's political crisis, with Pope Francis expressing deep concern and calling for dialogue in the wake of a disputed presidential election.
President Nicolas Maduro and Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles both welcomed the pope's statement on their Twitter accounts, while sidestepping the call for a dialogue.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – About the only tranquil place in Caracas over the last few days is a hilltop military museum housing the remains of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.
Visitors tip-toe around his marble sarcophagus, reprimanded by guards if their voices rise above whispers.
Outside, a shell-shocked nation is still reeling both from Chavez’s death from cancer last month and a week of violence and recriminations over the disputed election to succeed him.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's electoral council says it will audit the 46 percent of the vote not scrutinized on election night, a surprise concession that opposition candidate Henrique Capriles says will prove that he won the presidency. "We are where we want to be," a satisfied but cautious-looking Capriles told a news conference after the Thursday night announcement.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Venezuela should hold a recount of votes cast in its presidential election, which the country’s electoral authorities say was narrowly won by a protégé of former President Hugo Chávez.
The protégé, Nicolás Maduro, was declared the winner of Sunday’s special election with a margin of less than two percentage points over the opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles Radonski.

Instead of the resounding endorsement they were hoping for in Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela, allies of the late President Hugo Chávez got a message from the electorate_ Enough of Chavismo and the failed policies of “21st Century Socialism.”
The late president’s long-time political crony, interim President Nicolás Maduro, says he edged out opposition leader Henrique Capriles, but Mr. Capriles refuses to concede defeat and reasonably demands a recount.

CARACAS, Venezuela — It hardly seemed like a victory celebration. Nicolás Maduro stepped onto a stage here Sunday night after being declared the winner by a narrow margin in the presidential election to replace his mentor,Hugo Chávez, but his supporters were already streaming away in droves. The long faces told the story. “It’s not the same coming here and not seeing Chávez,” said Octavio Fuentes, 35, a government worker, walking out early. “We won, but you can’t compare Maduro with Chávez.” Mr. Maduro was supposed to ride Mr.