Venezuela opposition says has sufficient signatures for referendum

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a pro-government rally with workers of state-run oil company PDVSA in Caracas, Venezuela June 22, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's political opposition said on Wednesday it had collected the required number of valid signatures to begin a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro, amid the country's economic crisis.

The painstaking process of validating the signatures began earlier this week. The electoral council has required that those who signed for a recall vote against the 53-year-old president return to polling stations to verify their signatures through fingerprint detection.