Venezuela’s Maduro announces candidacy for July re-election

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro will run for a second re-election to secure another six-year term in voting planned for July 28, the ruling Socialist party said on Saturday.
Maduro, a 61-year-old former union leader, was proclaimed as the Socialist party’s candidate by Vice President Diosdado Cabello, and took the stage at a large sports arena to address supporters.
“There’s just one outcome, the people’s victory on July 28,” Maduro said, wearing a bright red zippered jacket. “They haven’t been able to stop us, nor will they be able to.”
Recent polls show 13.9% of Venezuelans plan to vote for Maduro, far behind opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado’s 54.5%.
But though Machado won an opposition primary in October, it was unclear whether she will appear on the ballot after the country’s top court upheld a ban barring her from holding public office.