Venezuela election board sinks push for Maduro referendum in 2016

Venezuela's national election board on Wednesday dashed opposition hopes of holding a referendum this year to remove unpopular socialist President Nicolas Maduro. If the opposition next month successfully collects 20 percent of total voter signatures requesting the plebiscite, then it "could take place halfway through the first quarter of 2017," the board said in a statement. The timing is crucial because if Maduro were to lose a referendum this year, as polls indicate he would because of an economic crisis, that would trigger a new presidential vote, giving the opposition a chance to end 17 years of socialism. But should he lose a referendum next year, Maduro, 53, would be replaced by his vice president, maintaining the Socialist Party in power until the OPEC nation's next presidential election scheduled for the end of 2018.More…