UN official: No aid for controversial Venezuela election
A United Nations official says the multilateral organization will not provide any electoral assistance for Venezuela's upcoming presidential vote, an election that has been denounced as rigged by the opposition and many foreign governments.
The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Representatives of President Nicolas Maduro and independent candidate Henri Falcon traveled this month to the UN headquarters to try and persuade it to send experts to be present for the May 20 vote. The main opposition coalition is boycotting the election over concerns it will be rigged and has called on the UN to reject the request.
Earlier, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told The Associated Press that a letter was sent to Venezuelan authorities about their request. He would not disclose the contents.
