Faint hopes among the Venezuelan opposition that President Nicolás Maduro might be removed from power via a recall referendum appeared to be dashed this week. Strict conditions were imposed on the signature collection process by the national electoral council (CNE), which ruled that signatures could only be collected during a 12-hour window on 26 January. The opposition claimed that the number of voting machines made it mathematically impossible to reach the requisite signature threshold of 20% of the electorate in every state during that timeframe. Turnout appears to have been low, with the opposition making little effort to mobilise its supporters, and the day was further marred by accusations of voter intimidation by the ruling Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV).End of preview - This article contains approximately 835 words.
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