Venezuela sets presidential election for July 28 as opposition candidate remains blocked

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s top electoral official has announced that the country’s highly anticipated presidential election will take place July 28. The leading opposition candidate remains barred from the ballot. National Electoral Council President Elvis Amoroso announced the date three days after lawmakers proposed more than 20 possible dates, ranging from as soon as mid-April to as late as December. In picking a date after June 30, the council allows the government to comply with part of an agreement it entered with a faction of the opposition last year that called for the vote to take place in the second half of 2024.