Maduro rejects EU’s demand for new polls

BUENOS AIRES: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday rejected an eight-day deadline from European nations to plan new elections. “Nobody can give us an ultimatum,” broadcaster CNN Turk quoted him assaying in an interview, according to a Turkish translation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared his support for Maduro after opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president last Wednesday. On Saturday, France, Germany and Spain gave Maduro eight days to announce free and fair elections or they will recognise Guaido, the speaker of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, as Venezuela’s leader. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also issued a statement that said the bloc as a whole could recognise Guaido if steps towards new elections were not taken “over the next days.” Maduro’s foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, had already rejected the deadline during an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Saturday. “Venezuela will not allow anyone to impose on us any decision or order,” Arreaza said, adding that Caracas has “excellent friends” it can call on for support. SEE ALSO P11