Opposition parties barred from elections in Venezuela

Venezuela's National Electoral Council decided on Tuesday to bar the

opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), from

running in seven of 23 states for regional elections in December.

In a report, the CNE says the MUD "must abstain from presenting

candidates in Zulia, Apure, Monagas, Bolivar, Trujillo, Aragua and

Carabobo, in compliance with legal judgments granted in these state."

The seven states in question are run by the official ruling

coalition, and have found irregularities in a petition presented by the

MUD to call a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro in

A number of political parties including the MUD had announced their

candidacies recently, including Popular Will (VP), whose leader Freddy

Guevara is under investigation for encouraging "violent acts" during

opposition protests.

Other MUD parties including Democratic Action, A New Time, Justice

First and Progressive Advance had also said they would prepare

candidacies in the seven states confirmed.

The CNE is renewing the credentials of political parties this week, ahead of the elections.

Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) on Tuesday found Ramon Muchacho, the opposition mayor of Chacao in the northern state of Miranda, guilty on the charge of civil disobedience and sentenced him to 15 months in prison.

The TSJ's Constitutional Court held an audience of over six hours on

the case against Muchacho, who refused to heed orders to clear highways

leading to Caracas during violent anti-government protests.

Muchacho is part of a group of opposition mayors being investigated

for colluding in blocking public highways with trees and trash for over

four months during protests by the opposition MUD.

The blockading of highways has been a common tactic by the MUD, in at least five of Venezuela's 23 state capitals.

The whereabouts of Muchacho are not currently known and he previously failed to appear on two previous court occasions.

The TSJ ordered the Bolivarian Intelligence Service to emit a "red alert" with Interpol for the immediate arrest of Muchacho.

Writing on Twitter, Muchacho said that "the weight of revolutionary injustice has fallen on my shoulders."

"We are being condemned for doing our job, for guaranteeing the

legitimate right to peaceful protest and the right of all Venezuelans to

exercise their civil and political rights," he later wrote to

supporters in an email.