Venezuela heading for Cuba-style vote: opposition

Venezuelan opposition leaders said Thursday the country is heading toward Cuban-style elections, with no real challengers to the ruling party, thanks to burdensome new rules governing how parties renew their registration. The accusation comes as the opposition stands to make major gains in upcoming regional elections, with Venezuela's economy imploding and President Nicolas Maduro's popularity plunging. The new rules, announced this week, set up a challenging series of hoops for parties to jump through in order to participate in this year's vote, which has not yet been scheduled. More…