Venezuela opposition calls October 12 protest to press Maduro recall

Venezuela's opposition called on Monday for mass rallies nationwide on Oct. 12 to push for a referendum to recall President Nicolas Maduro this year as they seek to oust his Socialist Party in an early presidential election. The campaign for a recall vote has run into resistance from the country's elections board, which is imposing further restrictions and argues it will take until 2017 to put the proper conditions for such a referendum in place. The Democratic Unity coalition urged daily protests against "anti-constitutional" conditions set by the electoral board. "We will overflow the streets peacefully all over the country so that the regime and its electoral agents know that the referendum ... will take place this year," Jesus Torrealba, head of the opposition coalition, told hundreds of supporters in Caracas on Monday. More…